Jez and Morgead: If Only, If Only
by Jynxiii
Summary: Series of one-shots about alternative ways that Jez and Morgy could have found out that they were Soulmates. To satisfy my fangirl sensibilities.
1. Truth or Dare

**I don't own Night World. Dedicated to YayNessa for the great idea!**

**I thought up of these series of one-shots several months ago, and my own laziness made me start writing it XD Well, that and YayNessa's idea for Memories. So, an explanation is in order. These are alternative ways in which the Jez and Morgead we love so much find out that they're Soulmates. Some of them could be pretty long...**

**Oh, and an explanation for YayNessa for how long it took. I originally wrote it on a small piece of paper, which I consequently lost. Either it's somewhere within the rubbish at the bottom of my bag (I don't **_**think **_**it is...) or it is in someone's hand and they read it in bewilderment. Oh, and the original was bad. **_**Really **_**bad. I was going to rewrite it anyway, but I was happy with the beginning. Huh. Oh well, I'll try to remember as much as I can as I start writing it **_**again... **_**the good thing is that I re-read my stories so much that I can practically recite Huntress II word-for-word. This was only four sides...**

**Anyway, I'll stop warbling on like a demented idiot and let everyone read this XD.**

_'If only, if only,' the woodpecker sighs, __  
__'The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies.' __  
__While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, __  
__He cries to the moo-oo-oon, 'If only, if only'._

_If only, if only, the moon speaks no reply; __  
__Reflecting the sun and all that's gone by.__  
__Be strong my weary wolf, turn around boldly.  
Fly high, my baby bird, __  
__My angel, my only._

- Louis Sacchar

**Meant to Be**

Okay. Jez had to admit it.

Sometimes holidays did get boring.

It was that moment after they finished a hunt and all there was to do was annoy Morgead and stare out of the window. Oh, and the stupid holiday homework her teachers loved so much. Bracken had already grounded her for not doing _one piece_ (Morgead had helped her sneak out, but Bracken found out and hid her motorcycle. Jez had had to 'borrow' Morgead's bike. He hadn't been very happy.), and Jez was getting annoyed with the teachers getting annoyed that she refused to show up to the detentions. Bracken had threatened her pretty harshly. He had hit Jez once, and if she was honest with herself, she never wanted that to happen again.

Jez sighed and shook her head so that her hair fell forward and quickly wrote down 'London' on the piece of Geography homework she had in front of her, without looking at the question, then discarded the piece of paper next to her. She was already failing Geography, anyway.

She sighed and drew her knees up and clasped them to her chest, amusing herself by lengthening and retracting her fangs. She stopped once her jaw started aching badly.

"What can we do?" Thistle's voice was thick with boredom.

Jez twisted her head to look at the others. Morgead was sitting completely still, since he turned 16, he was able to stay still for as long as he wanted without going crazy. Val had one of Morgead's fighting sticks out, and seemed to be trying to snap it. Raven was filing her nails and cleaning out the dried blood from under them. Thistle was in the exact same position as Jez and Pierce was... well, Jez wasn't sure what he was doing. He appeared to be having a staring contest with a photo that Morgead had put up a few months ago.

"We could try truth or dare?" Raven said.

"Might as well," Morgead said, suddenly snapping back to life. He exchanged a glance with Jez. She shrugged.

"I'll go first!" Val said suddenly. He threw the fighting stick to the other side of the room before closing one eye and pointing out one finger. It stopped moving at Thistle.

She sat up and smiled sweetly, looking as innocent as a guinea pig **(A/N: Don't ask. It was my friend Amy's idea...)**.

"Dare," she said firmly and suddenly flashed her fangs. She'd definitely ruined that image.

Val frowned, thinking deeply. "Oh! I've got a good one," he grinned at all of them before looking back at Thistle. "Jump off the roof."

Morgead and Jez exchanged one of their 'Val looks'.

Thistle looked at him weirdly. "You have the worst imagination," she muttered, before jumping up and running gracefully out of the door.

Val blinked and frowned at Jez. "What did she mean, I have the worst imagination?"

A small shape plummeted past the window.

Raven sighed. "She does that practically every day, Val. Hadn't you noticed?"

"Yes," he said patiently, still gazing at her as if he expected her to continue. Jez stifled a laugh, realising that Morgead was doing the same.

"Do you notice that the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening?" Morgead said, still stifling a laugh.

"I don't get it."

"'Course you don't," Jez interjected.

He crossed his arms, looking away from them all.

Thistle burst through the door. "Well, that was fun!" she said. "My turn, my turn," she paused, then glanced at Raven. "Can I choose two people to do a joint dare?"

Raven shrugged. "It would be more interesting than just one person. Why not?"

Thistle grinned. "Okay. Jez and Morgead."

That grin was worrying Jez. What had she up her sleeve?

She pursed her lips for a second before turning to them. Her grin resembled a Jack-o-lantern's.

"Kiss."

Everything was silent for a second.

"Thistle..."

"Quit it, Raven. They're always bragging that they would never refuse any dare. I kinda want them to refuse this one."

"Well, we're not."

Jez heard her voice speak out, without her consciously commanding herself. She felt herself blush slightly, and fought it. She could feel Morgead's surprised gaze on her.

"Really?" Thistle said in a wondering voice.

"Jez..."

"Don't bother, Morgead. I'm not refusing a dare."

She turned slightly towards him. He was gazing at her with an expression she couldn't understand.

"Are you sure?" he said. There was something suppressed in his voice.

She looked at him for a second, and could feel her cheeks colouring. She nodded, then moved towards him, closing the couple of feet that separated them.

He stayed completely still, frowning slightly, but as Jez moved even closer, he was the one who closed the last few centimetres between their lips when Jez hesitated.

She melted as soon as they touched. Sparks flew between them, the whole cheesy romantic film bit. Jez had had no idea that it was like that though.

After several seconds, he pulled away, even though Jez's hand was pressed against his hair, fighting to keep him where he was. He pushed her away gently, sending a quick message telepathically, '_Not when they're all here, Jez.'_

Jez let him push her away, and looked back at the others. Thistle was watching them with a strange expression.

Raven flicked a glance at her. "Maybe we should go," she said uncertainly.

"If... if you want," Jez said, fighting the tremors in her voice. She hated how weak they made her seem.

Raven rolled her visible eye before getting up, ushering Thistle to leave in front of her. The others left without saying anything.

"Jez..." Morgead said.

"Oh, be quiet," Jez said, before pressing her lips to his again.

She could feel him smiling as he kissed her back.


	2. Book

**I don't own Night World. Just a cute little chappie ;)**

**I think I pretty much embarrassed myself just before graphics today...  
****Georgia and I were waiting outside our graphics class, and we were talking to Andrei.**

**Andrei: You know Morgan?****  
****Me: Course I know Morgan. I talk to him a lot, don't I?****  
****Andrei: I think he has a crush on you.****  
****Morgan: No, I don't. (He'd just walked in, at that point. Me and Georgia didn't stop laughing. I mean, the coincidence!)**

**Book**

"I'm bored."

"Yeah, well guess what? So am I."

Jez paused, before turning away from the window (which was stupidly high up. You couldn't see a thing that was going on outside) and looking at Morgead, who was lying on his stomach a few feet away. "Well, what are we gonna do? We can't start the hunt until Thistle and Raven are back."

"I don't know! Read a damn book, or something," he said, not looking at her. He picked at splinters in his floor.

Jez looked around his apartment incredulously. "There is not one book here. I didn't actually know whether you _could_ read," she watched him for a second. "_Can _you?"

Morgead blinked. "'Course I can read," he said gruffly, looking away.

Jez moved closer to him, sensing that there was something he wasn't telling her. "Whatcha reading right now, then?"

"Nothing," he said, a bit quickly.

"You're a terrible liar sometimes, Morgead. These are one of those times."

"I'm not reading _anything_. Just drop it, Jez."

She pouted. "If you're telling me to drop it, then there must be something. You're reading something –" she paused as something occurred to her and wrinkled her nose. "Wait. It's not a _rude _book, is it?"

"Of course it isn't!"

"Ha!"

"If, hypothetically, I were reading anything."

Jez gazed at him before narrowing her eyes. "Why won't you tell me?" she asked softly.

Morgead looked up at her, frowning. "For goodness sake, Jez. You don't have to know everything about me!" He swung his legs round and lifted himself up from the ground, instead sitting cross-legged.

"What's wrong with best friends knowing everything about each other?" Jez said. She drew up one knee and hugged it to her chest.

"I don't know everything about you, so why should I tell you anything about myself?" he retorted. "Anyway, _are _we best friends anymore?" he said in a quieter tone.

Jez blinked. "I would think so. We support each other most of the time, right?"

She noticed that Morgead was inching closer to her, when he thought she wasn't looking.

"Best friends do more than just support each other," he said glumly.

"Do you have to be such a whiny idiot all the time? You always bring every conversation back to a problem of yours! Have you realised that there are other people –"

She stopped abruptly as Morgead, who was now only a couple of inches away, kissed her.

Woah.

Jez was frozen for a second, before realising that, even as she was lifting her hands to push him away, didn't want to stop.

So she kissed him back.

And again. Woah.


	3. Memories of the Moments

**I don't own Night World. 13 pages on word! Not as long as a couple I've written, but be happy with this. Started writing it about 3 months ago.**

**Memories of the Moments**

"I love you, Jez," Pierce whispered to the teenage girl with the long red hair.

She smiled, cerulean eyes melting into a perfect blue. She whispered back that she loved him too and moved closer to kiss him, little, teasing butterfly kisses. Then, with a toss of her long hair, she murmured words that made Pierce's heart melt.

"I'll see you at the alter."

Unknown to them both, someone else was watching. He didn't share the joy of the soon-to-be-wed couple. His emerald eyes were anguished, and blazed with a fierce hatred every time they rested on the boy holding the girl. His black hair was falling into his eyes, but it seemed as if he didn't notice, or didn't care.

He turned away as the girl turned and walked into the house and looked at the window that he knew went into the girl's room. He judged the distance and jumped up, landing light as a cat on the window-sill. The window was open, so he stepped in to sit on the window-seat, leaning against the wall. His heart was beating irregularly as he waited for Jez to come into the room.

~ n ~ n ~

Jez smiled once again as she thought about her fiancé. She walked up the stairs slowly and paused just outside her bedroom door. She could hear someone... had Pierce snuck in?

She swung it open and looked in. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Morgead sitting tensely on the window-seat, his hands clenching in the way they would when he was nervous.

"Morgead? What are you doing here?"

Her beautiful eyes were annoyed. Morgead realised that he probably should have waited before coming in. And maybe he should have used the door. After what he wanted to tell her, she needed to be happy enough not to murder him. He squashed his doubts down, though. She had to have the choice. She had to _know_.

"Jez, I know that I'm probably jeopardising our friendship, but I have to talk to you."

She looked at Morgead as if he was crazy, which, given the circumstances, he probably was.

"What are you talking about, Morgead?" she said, an exasperated tone in her voice. She put one hand on her hip.

He was silent for a second. Jez noticed that he was staring at her left hand, the one propped on her hip, which had the ring. Without knowing why, she lowered it, hiding it slightly behind her body, trying to make it seem natural. But of course, she couldn't make something so out of her character seem natural. She knew that, and knew that Morgead knew it. He didn't say anything about it, for which she was grateful.

"What do you want to say?" she said, more gently.

His eyes widened slightly, they were panicked. "I know that you're going to hate me, but I'll hate myself more if I say nothing… and I need to know that I _tried_."

"Morgead," Jez said. Her voice was alarmed.

"And anyway, I just wanted to…" he stared at her for a second, at her worried, alarmed expression.

He wished he'd remembered that speech that he had discarded on the floor in his room.

He realised that he'd been silent for a couple of seconds. Jez looked at his expression, then came closer, putting her hand on his arm, but then removed it quickly as a shock resounded through the both of them.

Her cheeks coloured, and she glanced away from Morgead's eyes.

"Jez," he whispered. The shock had done the opposite for him, it had given him courage. He could do this. Gently, he raised his hand to touch her cheek. She blushed a deeper red, avoiding his eyes as the lightening shock came again. "I love you."

Her eyes snapped back to his, heavenly cerulean blue meeting with striking emerald.

"_What?"_ she suddenly shrieked, causing Morgead to jump.

"Jez –"

"I can't _believe_ you, Morgead. You decide to tell me this the night before my _wedding?_" she glared at him, breathing hard. "Did you _think _about what I'm doing tomorrow?"

"Jez –"

"I'm less than twenty-four flipping hours away from the alter! And then –"

"Jez –"

"– you come to my room, to tell me this?"

"Jez."

"What?" she said, suddenly running out of steam.

"What I feel doesn't affect you, Jez. You can go and get married," he ignored how he felt sick when he said those words, "and you don't have to see me ever again. I just needed to –"

"To what? To give me a _choice?_"

"Yes… No," his face twisted. "I don't know!" He stared at Jez for a moment, and realised how worried and panicked she really was. Two bright spots of colour had appeared in her cheeks. She had a wrinkle in her nose, which she only got when she was murderously angry, and her eyes were bright and feverish. "I… I'm sorry. I should never have come." He started to turn away. "I don't think I'll be at the wedding." He took a couple of steps towards the window.

"Wait."

Morgead stopped and turned again, but didn't meet Jez's eye until she started walking towards him.

She looked calmer. At the very least, she wasn't advancing to kill him. There was also almost a shy way to how she walked up.

She was only a couple of inches away. She stopped, looking earnestly at Morgead. He just gazed at her, realising that _of course _he couldn't have this angel. No-one had done enough good in their life to deserve someone like her.

Funny how he was thinking that as it happened.

She raised her hand, letting her fingers brush his cheek, before moving it to the back of his neck, still gazing at him. And that first moment she touched him, there was another lightening bolt.

It almost hurt, and it was only getting more intense as she pulled his face down to kiss him.

He kissed her back desperately. The lightening strikes became more powerful and frequent, until Morgead's mind was numb. All he could think was how much he loved Jez. All he could feel was Jez's lips against his, her hands on his cheek and tangled in his hair.

And, strangely, although he had his eyes closed, he could see something. A single silver chord, thin, but gaining in strength, pulling their minds together, merging them.

_Morgead... _he heard, quiet and wondering.

Jez's mental voice. He would recognise it anywhere.

He knew, at that point, that he would fight for the girl he loved. He wouldn't let her be taken away by some guy who didn't even have this profound connection with her.

_You're the one taking me away from someone else, Morgead, _she murmured in amusement.

He could half-feel the real world, still feel her in his arms. He half-felt them break away from each other and instead lean their foreheads together, arms still tight around each other. Her breath was coming quickly, merging with his.

He was the happiest he'd ever been in his life.

And he could tell that it was the same for Jez. Maybe a bit more bitter-sweet – she still had Pierce at the back of her mind – but her happiness was obvious.

_I love you._ Morgead whispered to her.

He sensed her smile.

_I love you, too._

They stayed like that for a long while, thoughts and memories flooding out of each other, only to mix and merge, until they were entwined together, unable to tell which memories came from who. She was peaceful, tracing small circles on his cheek and down his neck with her fingers.

But then something changed. A memory from one of them struck a chord in her mind. Which, Morgead wasn't sure.

_But... Pierce, _she thought, to no-one in particular.

Morgead was quiet. They started pulling away from each others' minds, gently untangling their thoughts.

Reality was like a wall of cold air, hitting Morgead right in the face.

It took him a while to remember where he was and how to move his body. They'd somehow collapsed to the floor, and Morgead was leaning against the wall, his face pressed against her hair, arms around her.

She dropped her arms from around his neck and moved back a few inches, so that they weren't touching anymore. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes distant as she chewed on her bottom lip.

Morgead watched her for a second, then couldn't stand it anymore.

"Jez," he murmured. He leaned forwards and touched her shoulder. "We're Soulmates, Jez. I don't think that there's any point fighting it."

She looked at him, with such obvious love in her eyes that Morgead's breath caught in his throat. She leant forwards, moving closer to him and pressing her lips to his again.

But at the lightening strike, she shivered and pulled back. Morgead was horrified to see that she had tears in her eyes. She shook her head, not meeting his worried gaze.

"I can't. I'm sorry. I made a promise to Pierce. I have to keep it," she said. Her lower lip trembled.

Morgead touched it with one finger. "Jez, you can. You can call off the wedding…" he stopped talking as Jez shook her head again, the tears leaking out.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can! We _have _to –"

She shook her head again, the tears still leaking out. He was hurting her.

Morgead fought the tears. He'd almost won, got the girl he'd loved for years, but she was being taken away from him again. He brushed away her tears, trying to ignore how the lightening bolt shot through them again, causing Jez to close her eyes and lean her face into his hand. Her hand was shaking as she raised it to his cheek and touched it lightly, brushing away his own tears. He pulled her closer to kiss her again, for the last time.

"If you change your mind, I'll be at my apartment," he whispered against her lips.

"Okay," she whispered back.

He stood up and left the way he'd come in, jumping out of the window and landing gracefully, before making his way to his apartment.

~ n ~ n ~

Jez stood up immediately and went to the window to watch him going away. He didn't turn back.

She had no idea whether she'd made the right choice. Shouldn't her fiancé be the priority?

She moved to her bed and sat on it, staring at the large mirror on the wall, the tears still leaking out of her eyes. She brushed them away angrily.

The right thing for one person might not be the right thing for another.

So should she remain faithful to Pierce, or not? Should she guarantee her happiness, and her Soulmate's, or pretend that it never happened? Maybe she could learn to love Pierce as much as she had fallen in love with Morgead in those few minutes.

She shook her head. No, she couldn't. Of course she couldn't. Even from the beginning, when she'd first started dating Pierce, she hadn't been completely happy. She just thought that it was because it was impossible to be perfectly happy. She'd never had that sensation before. Until tonight.

Jez buried her head in her hands, hardly noticing the warm tears dropping into them.

She'd never truly known happiness until she was with Morgead, in his arms. She'd never felt so wanted, so _needed _as in that point. She'd never felt as comfortable in any surroundings as she had in his mind. It was just _right_. No way to explain it. She was in love with Morgead.

But could she betray Pierce's trust?

~ n ~ n ~

Morgead walked home slowly, dragging his feet, and hiding his face from anyone who passed, trying in vain to fight the tears that refused to stop.

After what seemed like a millennia holding onto the memories of the moments he had stolen with Jez, he came to his apartment.

He collapsed onto the floor as soon as he got in.

Why couldn't she _realise? _She could never be happy with Pierce. Not now. Even if she did marry him, she would have to come to him. And then it would be even more difficult.

At least he'd told her. That had to be worth something, right?

_Of course not. Not if she refused._

Was she hurt? Morgead could feel the sickening waves coming to him from somewhere else. Coming through the silver chord.

"Jez," he whispered, closing his eyes, seeing a scene as if it were playing on a television.

_Morgead rolled his eyes at Jez's expression._

_Of course, it went without saying, it was beautiful, but it was also funny._

_She didn't seem very impressed at Val dragging a deer carcass into her house._

"_Val," she said softly. He looked up, smiling at her. He didn't seem to realise that she was about to scream at him. "What the _heck _is that?" She pointed at the carcass, which was bleeding over the carpets._

_Thistle stifled a giggle as best as she could._

"_Umm..." Val seemed to have caught up with what everyone else had realised before Jez had even started talking. "Do you want me to take it out?"_

"_There is a place for animal carcasses, and if you don't hurry up, you will be joining them."_

_Val watched her, his eyes wide and uncomprehending. "Huh?"_

"_Get it out of the house before she kills you," Morgead translated, trying unsuccessfully to bite back the laughter._

"_Oh."_

_He promptly picked up the carcass and carried it outside._

_Jez sighed and let herself fall onto the sofa next to Morgead. "What is wrong with that guy?"_

_Morgead shrugged. "He must have been dropped on his head a lot when he was younger."_

"_And kicked by a horse," Jez added, giggling._

_Morgead laughed. This was how it was meant to be, just the two of them talking, whilst the others were minding their own business. Morgead flashed a glance at her, smiling when he realised she was still giggling as Val came in._

"_Jez?" Pierce's voice cut through them like a knife. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He stood up, blocking the light that was filtering through the open doorway._

_Morgead looked at him, surprised when he saw his expression, which was a mix of embarrassment and hope._

"_Pierce..." Raven said, as if warning him._

_Pierce shot an annoyed glance at her._

_Jez was quiet for a minute, then she shrugged and stood up. Morgead was suddenly gripped with a fear that he couldn't understand. He abruptly knew that he didn't want Jez to go. But what could he do? She wouldn't listen to him. She wouldn't understand._

_They were only gone for about ten minutes. Morgead watched them through the window, crossing his fingers surreptitiously behind his back. It didn't help the clawing in his stomach as he saw them both colour, then Jez nod, without saying anything. He purposefully ignored Raven's worried and apologetic gaze. Val and Thistle didn't seem to notice anything._

_They started walking back._

_Holding hands._

That had been hard, and the beginning of too many wrong decisions. He'd had over two years to tell her that he loved her, and he had missed all the chances. He didn't deserve to have her.

_Jez was smiling as she walked out, Pierce's arm around her. Pierce threw a last triumphant glare back at Morgead._

_It had been three months that she'd been dating Pierce, and in three months she'd hardly talked to Morgead. He knew that it was because of something Pierce had told her; he'd overheard them talking a while ago. He hadn't been spying, just... listening._

_He tried to force himself not to look out of the window at them, but he had to. Just one glance._

_The pain at what he saw struck him hard, trying to wrench his heart out of his chest._

_They were kissing._

_Morgead's breath came slightly quicker. He was starting to hate Pierce more and more. Pierce had better watch his back._

_But he knew, even as he was cursing Pierce under his breath, that he would never hurt him. He couldn't do that to Jez._

_They pulled away from each other and instead hugged, so that Jez's chin was resting on Pierce's shoulder. Morgead looked away, and didn't see Jez look into the window right at him with a worried gaze. He didn't realise that she missed him._

_Two years passed, and still Morgead did nothing but watch as they fell more and more in love, hoping it would get better of its own accord. He did nothing but observe as they started exchanging secret glances and going hunting alone._

_And one day, it was destined to be worse._

_That day had come. Morgead fought the pain when she came into his apartment, not even looking at him, but instead kissing Pierce quickly, and whispering something in his ear that made him chuckle and made her look at him with such love in her eyes that it tore his heart in two._

"_Oh! Guys," she said, interrupting Raven mid-sentence. Morgead stifled a laugh as Raven looked at her incredulously. "Pierce and I have something to announce."_

_He's dying from a deadly illness for which there is no cure and will never be a cure? Morgead thought, sighing. That would be nice._

"_Morgead," Raven said. He snapped back to reality, realising that everyone was staring at him, their expressions ranging from amusement to anger._

"_What?" he said._

"_You projected that thought," Thistle said. She burst out laughing._

_Jez glared at Morgead and Thistle before suddenly transforming back to happy. "Pierce and I are engaged."_

"_Engaged?" Morgead said before he could stop himself. He felt himself blush as Jez shot a weird glance at him._

"_Yes, Morgead," she said in a clipped voice. "We're engaged."_

_Morgead stared at her incredulously. She couldn't be _engaged_. Not to _him.

_She brushed her hair back with her left hand, and Morgead saw that her ring finger, which was usually bare, had a rather thick gold band with a ruby encrusted in it. A rather ugly one._

_And he knew that Jez didn't like rubies. Oh, come on, Pierce, he thought. You can do better than _that_._

_But she's engaged. She's engaged._

~ n ~ n ~

Jez opened her eyes to see the sun streaming through the window. She stretched, closing her eyes again, then sat bolt upright.

Ah, crap. Wedding. Morgead.

And she hadn't made her decision.

She was at a crossroads. At one end, there was deceiving, and she would hurt Pierce. But, she would be happy. And so would Morgead. At the other end, there was still deceiving, but Pierce would be happy. Except she and Morgead wouldn't be happy. And every time she looked at him, it would be like a bullet wound in her chest.

She moaned, collapsing back into her bed, pulling the covers over her head. Maybe if she stayed as she was, the problem would disappear. Maybe time would turn back and it would be before Pierce had ever even asked her out, and she knew what she would say. She would refuse.

At that point, she knew what she had to do.

She had to cancel the wedding. And then she would go to Morgead to beg, if she had to, for him to take her. She wouldn't let anything stand in her way. Not anymore.

She looked down at the ring on her hand. She did find it pretty revolting. It looked like a man's toe ring. And she'd told Pierce a long time ago that she hated rubies. Morgead would have known.

She stood up, feeling lighter than she had in a long time, almost dream-like. She would tell Pierce that the wedding was off, then find Morgead. See him again. She'd never been so happy in such a long time.

She stood up and went to her wardrobe, ignoring the wedding dress that was on its hanger, instead going for a simple pair of jeans and top. She shook her hair out from the tight plait it had been in and let it fall around her shoulders, letting the familiar weight comfort her.

She jumped at a knock on the door, and felt a rush. Maybe it was Morgead!

"Come in," she said, excitement in her voice. That would be perfect. She could talk to him before going to see Pierce.

It wasn't Morgead, though. It was Bracken.

"Oh," she said.

He frowned at her. "You don't seem very pleased to see me."

"Sorry. I was just hoping that you were someone else."

He smiled. Was that a _tear _in his eye? "I can't believe that you're getting married. You've really grown up."

Jez frowned at him. "I'm twenty, uncle Bracken. I've been grown up for a while."

"I know."

Jez bit her lip, and said in a small voice, "Uncle Bracken? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, sweetie."

She hesitated. "How long has Morgead been in love with me?"

He froze, and his eyes widened. "Don't tell me he _told _you?"

"How long?"

He looked at her in exasperation for a moment, then sighed and moved to the other side of the room to sit on the window seat. He motioned for Jez to come to sit next to him. "I'm not sure. I realised when he was ten. But he probably loved you before. Did he tell you?"

She nodded and ducked her head.

"That _idiot_. You're getting married and he's professing his love for you. After at least eleven years."

"I'm in love with him," Jez said softly. She looked back up at her uncle's unbelieving eyes. "I need to call off the wedding. Morgead and I are Soulmates. I won't be able to stand in that hall and promise to love Pierce forever when I have a Soulmate. Every time I'll look at Morgead I'll just..." she threw her hands in the air in frustration. "I don't know. But I have to be with Morgead."

"Soulmates?" Bracken said wryly. He didn't sound surprised.

Jez shot him a look.

"Sorry, Jez. I kind of guessed that you would be close in a way like that."

Jez gaped at him. "You knew, and you never told me that marrying Pierce would be the wrong thing to do?"

He shook his head. "I didn't know for certain. And you have to find out these things yourself." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Go on Jez. You need to cancel this wedding. I understand, and I hope Pierce will."

Jez kissed his cheek before getting up and sprinting out her room, down the stairs, and out into the front garden.

She could have found Pierce's house in the dark, having been going there almost every day for the past two years. It was only a ten minute walk, anyway. The nerves coiled like snakes in her stomach as she drew near to the house. She stopped at the entrance of the front garden and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"I have to do this, I have to do this," she muttered over and over to herself. For Morgead.

She closed her eyes for a second and fixed him in her mind, felt how strong and powerful the silver chord she'd discovered yesterday was, and every moment gaining strength. She was sure Morgead would notice, and realise.

She opened the wrought iron gate and walked up the path to knock on the door, keeping her shoulders squared and her gaze steady.

Pierce opened the door, and frowned when he saw her. "Jez? Why are you here?" he smiled. "You know, it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding." He made a move as if to kiss her, but Jez moved away.

He blinked, and a flash of pain passed over his face. Jez was immediately filled with remorse. "I'm sorry," she said. She looked away, biting her lip.

"What's wrong?" His voice was low.

She turned back to him. "I need to talk to you."

"Then talk."

She stared at him for a second, suddenly doubting her decision. Was it really the right one?

_Of course it is,_ a small voice said. Somehow, Jez knew that it was the bond between her and Morgead talking, guiding her to the right decision.

She took off the engagement ring.

"Pierce, I'm sorry, but I can't marry you."

He stared at her blankly. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not enough in love with you to do something like this. I won't... I can't stand up there and promise to love you forever when I know that I won't. We're not meant to be together."

He just stared at her, his expression twisting into a mask of hate. Jez blinked and backed away as he advanced a few steps towards her. "What do you mean, we're not meant to be together? Of course we're meant to be together!"

His rage made her bristle. She glared angrily at him. "No, we're not. I was thinking about it all yesterday night and this morning. I love you, but not enough that I can marry you."

He flinched as if she'd hit him, but in her rage Jez couldn't feel any sorrow or guilt for his hurt.

"So you were just leading me on."

"Of course I wasn't! I thought we were good together until last night!"

He was silent for a second, refusing to look at her. "What happened last night?" he said tonelessly.

Jez stopped talking.

Well. What was she supposed to say?

"Did you meet someone else?" his voice was quiet again.

Jez took a deep breath to calm herself again. "I didn't _meet _him. I already knew him."

His eyes were bright and incredulous. "Morgead? You're giving me up for Morgead? You argue more than you talk rationally with him!"

"How did you know it was Morgead?"

"I've known that he's liked you for a long time. Everyone seemed to know but you. That was why I asked you not to talk to him anymore."

Jez blinked. "So everyone knew but me. Why didn't I see it myself?"

"Because you're so self-absorbed."

Jez's mouth dropped open. She clenched her fists as she moved closer to him. "What did you just say?"

"That you're self-absorbed. Oh, and you're vain, too. You know what?" he was glaring at her so hatefully now that it was scaring her. "Morgead's welcome to you. He doesn't deserve any better! And neither do you."

Jez felt the tears prick at the back of her eyes. "Well, I'm glad I chose Morgead. He's definitely a much better kisser than you are," she retorted, knowing she was being childish, but unable to stop. "Oh, and take your ugly ring! I did tell you that I hated rubies, didn't I?" She threw it at his face, and it hit his cheek. She turned, running away from him.

_I can't believe I ever fell for him. _

She was crying by the time she reached Morgead's apartment, and opened the door. Morgead was sitting with his back to her on his futon, his head in his hands. He didn't seem to hear her come in.

"Morgead," she said, well aware that she much look a mess after sprinting half a mile whilst crying.

He turned, and froze when he saw her. Then he seemed to see in what a state she was in and stood up, gracefully coming over to her. "What happened?" he said, intently looking into her face.

"I called off the wedding," she whispered. "And Pierce... wasn't happy about it." She gave a half-laugh through the tears that were coming quicker now.

His expression was carefully frozen, but Jez could almost see the happiness radiating from him. She moved closer and stepped into his arms. "What did he say?" he whispered, closing his arms tight around her.

She sighed, comforted. "He said I was self-absorbed and vain," she said, her voice cracking.

"He said _what?_" Morgead growled. He pushed her away to look at her. "Do you want me to kill him?" he said thoughtfully.

Jez laughed, tightening her arms around his neck. "No –"

"You're right, he deserves worse." He pulled Jez closer again and kissed the top of her head. "He should respect you. You deserve better than that creep, Jez."

Jez buried her head in his neck. "I love you," she whispered.

Morgead smiled against her hair and kissed it again. "I know. I love you, too."

Jez pulled his face down to kiss him.

This was how it was meant to be.


	4. Worse

**I don't own Night World.**

**You know what? When inspiration strikes at three minutes past midnight, ya gotta do somethin'!**

**Ages... ummmmm... guessing 13 and 14? Something like that.**

**Worse**

"Why is it that every time I come round now, I get bored?" Jez asked.

I didn't look away from the TV as I answered with, "Go annoy someone else, Jezebel."

She made a big show of leaning forward and looking intensely at me. "No, really. I think there's something wrong with you. Why don't we fight?"

"Jezebel, shut up."

"It's not _good_ for you to be so... _stationary_ all the time. I'm just looking out for your health." She poked me hard in the kidneys. I forced myself not to respond. "See? You're getting fat. That's not good for a vampire."

I ignored her.

She sighed heavily and picked herself of the futon as if it required great effort, then placed herself in front of me.

"I'm really bored," she said earnestly.

"I heard you the first time. Get out of my way, Jezebel."

She crossed her arms and glared at me, the death glare that only I ever received. "Watching too much TV can give you square eyes, Morgead." She leant forwards.

"Not much chance of that with you here."

She started tapping her foot and glared out the window, not moving from her spot between me and the TV.

"I'm warning you, Jezebel–" I started.

She interrupted me. "If I were leader, right now we'd be hunting. Or practicing our fighting skills."

"Our agreement was that your only birthday present to me was that I could be leader of the gang for two months without you trying to break my skull. Can't you even survive three weeks?"

"I can survive anything," she said automatically. She collapsed back on the futon next to me. "I'm bored," she whined. "Where's everyone else?"

"No idea," I answered, trying to tune her out.

I felt her gaze on me and carefully kept my eyes away from her, until she suddenly darted forwards and snatched the remote from my hands. I automatically moved to grab hold of her other wrist and pull it back as she switched the channel. She held the remote out of my reach.

"Let's at least find something better. I don't like Star Trek unless Data is in it."

"I know about your undying love for Data–" she elbowed me in the ribs. "Ow," I muttered, twisting her wrist. "Just give me the remote back."

"Don't worry, if Data is there Jean-Luc Picard will be, and we all know how much you love him..."

"Give me the remote back!"

"Sue me," she said, still smiling from the stupid comment. She tried to twist away from.

"I'll do worse," I retorted back. She turned to me with an amused expression on her face, still not letting me get the remote.

So I did the thing that I would never have done under any other circumstances. I quickly leaned in and kissed her.

She gasped under my lips and started shaking. I took the advantage, snatching the remote from her hands and pulling back from her to change the channel. She didn't resist in any way, and though I couldn't bring myself to look at her, I could feel her watching me.

After about a minute of silence, she finally said, "You're right. That was worse." She looked away from me. "As soon as I'm leader again, I'm kicking you out of the gang."


	5. Innocence

**I don't own Night World.**

**Gahhh... this is the hard part, y'know. I'll say... 15 and 16?**

**Innocent**

The red haired girl sat against the tree, pressing her shoulders against the rough texture. Her arms were tight around her knees, and she frowned at the darkness, waiting for... something. She wasn't sure what herself. A cold breeze whispered towards her, playing on her skin and she shivered, though she didn't truly feel cold.

She didn't want to go back home. Afraid of what she might learn, what she might find. She was terrified of the unknown; though she usually choked back her fears and dove in head first, knowing that was the best way to conquer fear.

But having bloodied hands and a pain deep inside her very self only accentuated the fear, made it harder to deal with. She didn't feel she was strong enough to even face up to this one.

The leather jacket beside her was stained with blood – his blood – but even so she ran her fingers over it, finding comfort in the soft material.

And finally, what she was waiting for came.

A black-haired boy that seemed much paler than usual in the half-moon, with irises that gleamed like emeralds, reflecting light back to her. He was standing precisely, and she knew without getting up that he was taller than her. His muscles were definitely bigger. He held a weapon in his hand, not a type that many people knew of, though she saw them every day. The wooden spear was gleaming.

"I heard what happened."

His voice was all it took to heap the memories onto her. They were choking her with their intensity, and only his eyes kept her grounded. Without them, she was sure she would float, not truly in her body but not truly separated from it. She refused to answer him, knowing that even a single word from her would break the barriers. Even at this time, she couldn't show weakness to him. He would only take advantage. He always had, and she never blamed him.

She couldn't stop her bottom lip from trembling, though, and she immediately turned her head away from him. He didn't go away, but he also didn't come closer. He just stood there, holding his weapon and watching her.

She wanted nothing more at that moment than to demand him to leave her, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a sob passed through instead.

She put her hand against her lips as if she could physically force the weakness back and dug her shoulders again into the tree, grateful when she drew blood. She could use the pain to make herself angry.

"Go away."

He ignored her.

Instead, he came closer. Slowly placing one foot in front of another, dropping the wooden weapon to the ground. He kept his eyes carefully on her as she did on him, her hand now pressed at her throat. When he finally got to her, he knelt down in front of her, making no move to touch her in any way, though his eyes were so heavy in their gaze she could almost feel it pressing onto her, making her claustrophobic.

She tore away from him and moved to the next tree.

He didn't follow, as she had expected. He stayed at the same tree, leaning his shoulder against the bark, on one knee. She turned away from him, instead looking up at the moon through the branches, letting herself slide down the trunk of her own tree and look through the leaves at the moonbeam, letting herself exhale and press into the ground as if it could envelop her, protect her as she closed her eyes. The only things she could hear were her breathing and the leaves swaying like wind chimes. She loved that sound. Everything was as peaceful as she could imagine. Apart from the screaming, which she knew would never truly leave her.

"The first time I met you, I was five," the boy whispered, making her start. She'd forgotten he was there. "My mother had left me for the day, and I was trying to amuse myself, to try and forget that she'd gone again. You were there, and you looked like a goddess. Or maybe like an angel. I've never been able to decide which. I just looked at you one time, and I was ready to hand you my heart, my entire life, my... _everything_. I'd never seen anyone so beautiful."

She twisted her head and opened her eyes to look at him. He was looking into the dark trees.

"Then, when she – my mother – left permanently, you were the first one I told. The only one I told," he shook his head. "There was no-one else who even cared to know. You were the only important person in my life, and you know what?" he turned to look at her, still lying on the soft ground. "I never cared about that. You were the only person I _wanted_ in my life. If I could have chosen between you and the rest of the world, I would have chosen you. Every time."

They stayed gazing at each other, him with raw honesty in his eyes, her with just a world of endless pain.

"I hate seeing you hurt. Every time, I torture myself and tell myself that I could have done something to prevent it, or made a deal with God to put the pain on me instead, even if it were double what you felt. I was sure that God didn't want to do anything to hurt any of his angels. Especially you."

She was turning back to watch the moonlight again, letting herself be comforted by his familiar voice, like an old and well-read book.

"It took him a long time." She swallowed. "To die," she finished in a choked whisper.

He didn't say anything to that, and this time, instead of banishing him, she wanted to ask him to hold her, to chase away her fears, but she was more afraid of letting down her guard around him. For all she knew, it could be a clever and cruel ploy to break her further. If she were honest with herself, she wouldn't put that below him.

She took a slow, deep breath, ignoring the hitching in her throat. The scent of pine needles filled her senses, and she closed her eyes again, wondering how long it would take her to die if she just stayed here.

The boy came closer and lay next to her.

She didn't move away this time, and, sensing him only several inches away, she reached out and held tightly onto his hand. He held hers tightly. "Your hands are cold," he said, softer than the wind.

She nodded in response and turned to lean her head against his chest, putting her hand over his heart. She felt him gently touch her hair, before brushing down to her cheek and softly touching her lips.

She didn't know whether she would regret her action the next day, but she acted anyway, moving herself closer to him and brushing a kiss on his throat before kissing his lips. He kissed her back gently, holding her as if she was breaking. Which, by the way she was feeling, she could have been. She forgot everything else that had happened, her fear of being too vulnerable in front of him drifting away. He traced small circles into her back as she ran her hands through his midnight hair.

She didn't know whether this would change anything between them. She didn't know whether she _wanted_ it to. She felt it as innocent. No strings attached. All she needed, at that moment, was proof that she was still alive, that she could still feel. He made her feel wanted and beautiful. That was all she needed.


	6. Mistake

**Well, the holidays are over. That was one quick six weeks...**

**I don't own Night World.**

**Mistake**

Jez could feel there was something wrong.

She had no idea what it was, or how she knew, but there was some... otherworldly thing telling her that Morgead was in pain. She had an unthinkable, but strong urge to _comfort _him. How embarrassing. She shuddered, and Bracken looked at her questionably. They were watching Desperate Housewives. Not really something one would shudder at.

"I'll be right back. I-I forgot to tell Morgead something."

He gave her a serious look. "Don't stay there all night."

"Why would I do that?" she asked, frowning at him.

"Does that mean I get to turn off this crap?"

"I thought you liked it! Especially the ones with Beau Mirchoff."

"That's you, dear. I'm not gay. Don't stay too late; you have school tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes, facing away from him.

It didn't take long to run to Morgead's. She didn't bother knocking; they never locked the door anyway. She opened it and peeked into the gloom, waiting a second for her eyes to adjust. There was almost no light to see by in the hall. Jez closed her eyes and concentrated for a second, finding his power signature, unique and powerful as her own. He was in the living room.

She opened her eyes and moved to the door just ahead of her, narrowly missing hitting her shin on a wooden cupboard. She opened the door and looked in. He was sitting on the settee, blindly staring out of the window, which looked out onto a messy garden.

"Morgead?" she whispered.

He whipped round, his emerald eyes focussing on hers. "Hey," he said, frowning. "Why are you here?"

She slipped in and sat on the settee next to him. She was silent for a minute.

"Jez?"

"Are you alright?"

"Are you?" he said cheekily.

She glared at him. "Seriously, Morgead."

He gazed at her with wide, innocent eyes. "I'm fine."

Jez looked around, noticing the disarray of the room. "Where's your mother?"

He looked away from her and twisted his hands together. "Out." His voice seemed lower than usual.

Jez bit her lip. She _knew_ something was wrong. "How long has she been out?"

"What is this, twenty questions?"

She hit him across his arm. _"How long?"_

He was quiet for a long while. "Two weeks," he said finally.

"Two..." Jez was suddenly inexplicably angry at him. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

He leant back against the settee. "Didn't think you'd care," he said, shrugging. "She's bound to turn up eventually. She always does." He stubbornly refused to look at her.

Jez didn't trust herself to speak without loosing control and shouting at him, so instead she settled for glowering at him. He seemed completely relaxed, just lounging back with his arms crossed. When she had a better handle on her emotions she allowed herself to look at him. "You should have told me," she said carefully.

He looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm being serious, idiot."

"Well, I'm not."

"_Morgead."_

"Because it's easier that way!" he suddenly shouted, sitting up straight to look at her.

Jez felt her eyes widen at his sudden outburst. Morgead very rarely lost his cool. Even less so than her.

"The options are to be scared stiff, or make a joke about it, okay? And I'd _really _rather the latter." He collapsed back again and ducked his head down. His hair obscured his eyes, and Jez had a bad feeling he might be crying. She'd only seen him cry once in her entire life.

"Morgead?" she said softly. She brought her knees up and turned to him. "You're right. She'll turn up at some point." He didn't respond, so Jez took a deep breath and touched his arm gently. "But I do wish you would have _told_ me. I do..." she took another deep breath, biting down on her lip. _Spit it out, girl. _"I do care. More than you think."

He reached up and took hold of her hand, holding it tightly. It seemed too easy, too natural to lean her head onto his shoulder. He didn't fight it, either. In fact, he turned towards her to put his arms around her waist. Jez let herself relax in his arms. She wasn't sure whether she could fight this overwhelming peace that had settled between them. Neither of them spoke for a long while.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you," he whispered.

Jez moved slightly to press her forehead to his neck. "She'll come back," she said again. "I promise."

"To be honest, I don't care if she doesn't come back," he said musingly. "She's a crap mother anyway."

Jez moved back slightly to see him better, but not enough to break away from his arms. It wasn't that she _enjoyed_ being there, she just... anyway.

There was nothing like forgiveness in his eyes. Just grim acceptance.

Her hand moved without her consciously telling it to do so. It reached up to gently touch his cheek. She felt a shock, and heard his breathing stop. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at her.

Her brain suddenly caught up to what she was doing and pulled back away from him, even though she felt as if a part of her heart was being torn away. She frowned to herself, turning away from Morgead. What the hell was that? What the hell was she _thinking?_ Comforting him was one thing, but this was just wrong on so many levels. Practically incest! She coughed, trying to ignore the buzzing of electricity she could feel between them.

"I should go. I told Bracken that I wouldn't stay out too long, she said, talking louder to try and cover up her embarrassment. He nodded and stood up. Jez was certain her legs wouldn't be able to support her; they felt so much like jelly. She somehow managed to get up without mishap, though.

"Are you coming to school tomorrow?" she asked. She forced herself to look at Morgead impassively, as though she wasn't affected by what had happened. But... Wow. She'd never really noticed how... _beautiful_ he was. _Get a grip on yourself!_ He made it practically impossible, though, shooting a devastatingly beautiful grin to her. "I don't have to, do I?" he said, his eyes playful. "She was the only one forcing me to go."

Jez tightened her hands into fists and dug her nails into her palm. _Focus, Jez. Don't think about... _She bit her lip.

He opened the door for her and frowned. "How did you know?"

"Huh?" she said brilliantly. Yeah, right.

"How did you know there was something wrong?"

"Just a feeling," she didn't trust herself to say more than that.

"Thank you," he said gently. He touched her hand. There was that shock again that made her feel like the floor had just dropped away beneath her. "It really did help."

She smiled weakly, and had to physically tug herself away and mentally shake herself in an attempt to gain a clear head. "See you tomorrow." It must have come out strangely, because he gave her an odd look. "I need to go," she said quickly. She slipped out of the door and it closed behind her.

Jez couldn't bring herself to move for a while. She pressed her back against the door. She was breathing quickly, as if she'd just sprinted the whole way home. She had no idea what was wrong with her. Since when did she feel anything apart from a platonic, if strained friendship with Morgead? Since when did she find him _beautiful?_ She groaned and leant to head onto her hands, forgetting, for a moment, that she had to be quiet.

A moment was enough.

The door opened again, inwards, causing her to fall back. All she could think for a second was, _oh crap I'm gonna die_, before strong, warm arms caught her. She scrabbled up to her feet, feeling heat rise rapidly to her cheeks. Morgead was watching her with an amused smile. Dammit, even _that _one was beautiful. Which didn't help someone who was trying to remember how to breathe. "Did you forget something?" he asked, putting his head to one side.

She did nothing but stare at him with wide eyes for a second.

"Jez?"

"No," she said, managing to work some rage into her voice. She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I was just leaning against the door. _You're_ the one who attacked me!"

He crossed his arms as well and raised an eyebrow. "_Attacked_ you? What is it, Jez?"

"Nothing!"

"It's obviously something, Jezebel. I told you what was wrong with me; return the favour, would you?"

"I'm fine, Morgy."

She turned to leave, but Morgead grabbed hold of her arms to stop her. Jez reluctantly met his eyes.

And couldn't move. His emerald gaze was intense, searching hers. He was closer to her than usual, so much so that Jez could have counted his eyelashes. She felt her breathing speed up, and was unable to slow it down. She acted on instinct, though she had no idea what instinct it could be, and stood up on her tiptoes to reach the couple of inches between them and press her lips to his. He gasped before gently kissing her back. His lips were warm and soft. Jez reached up to twist her hands through his hair. After a second he pulled back slightly and whispered her name.

Her mind caught up to her body again. She jerked back, away from him, away from the dangerous feeling that was taking over her body.

"Jez?" he asked, eyes wide.

She turned and grabbed the door, sprinting out in direction of home. He let her go wordlessly this time.

Jez had never thought about how it would feel kissing Morgead. He was too much of a brother to her, someone she had to look out for, someone she both loved and hated at the same time. He'd never, in her entire time knowing him, been someone she would class as beautiful. Or a good kisser. And now suddenly she classed him as both.

She ran faster.

She was home in what seemed like no time at all, and immediately went to her room to collapse face-first on her bed.

"Jez?"

She jumped and twisted round to see Bracken standing at the door and watching her in concern.

"What did he do?" he asked, and came to sit next to her on the bed. He brushed her hair back gently.

"Nothing. He didn't do anything."

"Is he alright?"

Jez felt tears burn behind her eyes. "He's fine."

"Then what's _wrong?"_

Jez sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. "I kissed him."

Uncle Bracken raised his eyebrows. "And it was that bad?"

Jez glared at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, holding out his hands palms-forward. "Bad joke."

The doorbell rang, and Jez felt like her heart was in her throat. "If it's Morgead, tell him that I'm asleep," she said quickly.

Uncle Bracken frowned, but nodded. As soon as he left Jez went to the window to open it, needing the cool breeze on her skin. She sat on the window seat, watching the moon. After a few minutes, a pale face popped up from outside. Jez didn't scream, but almost fell off the seat in shock.

"Good _God_, what are you doing here?" she hissed angrily.

"I knew Bracken was lying, and we have to talk," Morgead hissed back, just as angrily.

Jez glared at him, trying to ignore how her seeing him was making her feel. She reached up to drag the window closed. "Don't you _dare_," Morgead said, quickly swinging in, gracefully and soundlessly. "You can't just kiss me and then _leave, _Jezebel. We're going to talk."

"You're the one who never wants to talk, Morgy, and there's no need to now."

"Yeah, right. Did you manage to kid yourself with that? I'm a bit harder to fool."

Jez squared her shoulders and lifted her chin defiantly. "It was a mistake," she said firmly, looking at him directly in the eye so he knew she was telling the truth.

He blinked. "No, it wasn't," he said harshly. He stepped forwards and took her face in his hands before kissing her.

It wasn't as gentle as the last time. She let him, kissing him back blindly. There was no other option. When they finally did break away, they were both breathing raggedly, their arms tight around each other. He kissed her once more, just once, gently.

"It wasn't a mistake, Jez," he whispered, holding her tightly. "Don't you dare say that again."

Jez nodded and closed her eyes, burying her face into his chest.


	7. Untitled

**I don't own Night World.**

**Untitled**

Jez enjoyed a lot of thing. Included in those things was reading classical books. At one particular time, she was reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, in her own house, not expecting to be disrupted. She'd left Morgead in charge of the gang for the day, and just wanted some time completely to herself for once. She hadn't had that for several years now. However, she should have known that it would never last.

Although she'd locked the door, which was a rare occurrence, the window was open because it was a typical warm day in summer. She realised that she probably should have closed the window and turned on the fan.

"Jez?"

"Good grief..." Jez muttered. She looked up to see Val and Morgead. Oh, and Pierce was right behind them.

"This is going to seem weird," Val said. Jez sighed and put her book to one side. "If you had to date one of us, who would it be?"

Jez's mouth dropped open. "Seriously?"

"We were just..." Val looked at Morgead quickly, who leant back against the wall and shrugged. "wondering."

Jez knew her eyes were accusing and outraged as she looked at Morgead. "Seriously?" she repeated. "I leave you in charge for one day and this happens? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It wasn't my idea!"

"Just answer it, Jez," Val said.

"Ask Raven."

"We already did."

"What did she say?"

"To ask you."

"Great..."

"Actually, I'm interested now," Pierce said.

"So I have to answer this stupid question?"

"Why not?" Morgead said with a slight smile.

Jez glared at them each in turn. Val and Pierce had the good grace to look away, but Morgead met her gaze levelly, that same smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, fine," she looked at them again. "Val."

Val punched the air and laughed. Pierce's expression didn't change, but Morgead blinked. The smile slid off his face. "What?" he looked genuinely shocked.

"Now get out."

They got out, though Morgead was throwing disbelieving glances at Jez. She had no idea why he was looking at her in that way. She turned back to her book.

A few minutes after, Morgead came back.

"What was that?"

Jez raised her eyebrows. "What was what?"

"Why the heck did you choose Val?"

"Why the heck do you care?"

"I just thought that the fact that we've known each other for over a decade would make you choose me." He looked down for a second. "Over Val, at least."

Jez stood up and crossed her arms. "I think that you have a serious problem."

"It's just not very good for my self-esteem that you chose a guy whose IQ is no more than twenty."

"It was a hypothetical situation! You made me choose!"

"I wanted you to choose me," he stopped abruptly, as if he'd just realised what he'd said.

Jez bit her lip. "What?"

"Self-esteem, Jez," he said quickly.

"What, you're expecting me to give you a pep talk?"

"I don't... No. Just–"

"Are you having a mental breakdown?"

"Maybe," he said with a laugh. He pushed a hand through his hair, leaving it even more dishevelled than usual. He looked, for that moment, like a child.

Jez sighed and put one hand on her hip. "If it really matters that much to you, I chose Val because he's a push-over."

"Really?"

"Yes. I can get you to do what I want, but it takes more effort. And Pierce freaks me out."

"So more like a pet than a boyfriend?"

"Something like that."

"That's not very romantic."

Jez snorted. "The choice was Val, Pierce or you. When could any of you be romantic?"

Morgead frowned at her. "I can be romantic."

"You? Romantic? In what parallel universe does that exist?"

"I'll prove it."

"How?"

"I'll take you on a date."

Jez spluttered, half laughing and half choking with the shock. "You'll..."

"I'll take you on a date."

"A... romantic... outing... us two? Is that even possible?"

Morgead crossed his arms, seeming indignant. He was looking somewhere over his left shoulder. "We'll see."

"Jez was completely stumped. How the hell was she supposed to deal with _this?_ She answered without consciously telling herself to. "Fine."

"Okay."

"Now get out of my house."

**If I get enough reviews asking me to write about the date, I might do it, otherwise I'll leave it at that. Thanks for reading! **


	8. Untitled pt2 The Date

**I don't own Night World. Hope you like the date ;)**

**Untitled, Pt. 2 (The Date)**

Raven was more than a little surprised when Jez burst in through her door with an uncharacteristically desperate expression.

"I am _screwed_," was the first thing she said.

Raven automatically took her role as the mother of the group. She certainly was the most mature. "It can't be that bad," she said in a soothing voice.

"It is. It really is," Jez said. She collapsed onto the sofa and put a hand over her eyes.

"What happened?"

Jez peeked at Raven through her fingers before sitting up. "_Morgead _is what happened. The boys came and asked me which one of them I would date, and I chose Val–"

"Really?" Raven said wonderingly. She'd been certain Jez would have chosen Morgead.

"Yes, really. Because he's a push-over–"

"Ohh..."

"And then Morgead came back in and confronted me, and somehow..." she paused, and a confused expression flitted across her face. "We agreed to go on a date." She shifted in the sofa, bringing up her knees and leaning her chin against them. "See? Screwed."

Raven smiled before she could stop herself. "Really? That's great!"

"What?" Jez sounded outraged.

"Nothing. Why did you come here, though?"

"I want to know what to do if it, like, gets awkward or something. I think he's going to try to be romantic." She seemed half disgusted, half disbelieving. "Oh, and how I should dress."

"If it gets awkward, just turn it into two friends going out and just having some fun."

"What, hunt?"

Raven smirked, "Well, it's all you like, and all you're good at."

Jez glared angrily, before sighing. "Should I dress as if it's a date?"

"And how would that be?"

"You know, actually doing my hair and makeup. Dressing in nice clothes instead of the first ones that come to hand..."

"Try to make a bit more effort, then."

"I can't believe my first date is going to be with _Morgead_," she suddenly said, her voice wondering. She gazed out of the window, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. Raven smiled inwardly.

"Better than with Pierce."

"He freaks you out too?" Jez said, turning back to Raven.

Raven laughed. "What time is he picking you up?"

"He texted me seven."

"Where is he taking you?"

"I don't know. He just said that it would be romantic." Her face suddenly blanched of colour. "Oh, eww! What was I thinking? I can't go on a date with Morgead! It's disgusting!"

"Jez, calm down."

"I'm not going to be able to go through with this," she muttered.

"It's all about looking at him in a different light. Do you think he's good-looking?"

She turned away, biting her lip. "I suppose..."

"Jez."

"Oh, fine," she turned eyes that were furiously bright and completely silver onto Raven. "Yes. I do. Can you blame me?"

"Not really. Just focus on that and you'll be fine."

Jez nodded, frowning. She got up and said in a distant voice, "I'd better get ready." Her expression was turned inward.

"Yes, you'd better. First dibs on being your second if you kill him!" she said with a short laugh. Jez mumbled something indistinct before shuffling away, watching the floor.

Raven was positive she wouldn't survive the night.

...

Morgead was having a dilemma.

He had no idea what was wrong with him. Somehow, he'd mustered the courage to ask _Jez_ on a date. Tonight. He didn't know exactly what had happened, it was kind of a blur, but he remembered that part, at least. And he also had no idea how he was going to get through it. Sure, he'd imagined being with Jez. Every guy who saw her did, and most likely a few girls. He could tell by the way they looked at her.

He checked the time. Only one hour left. His stomach was twisting with anticipation and dread, but he wasn't sure which was stronger. His leg was jumping with tension. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to get through this evening.

...

Jez was ready with fifteen minutes to spare. She was wearing a loose, flowy white top which she'd forgotten she had, denim shorts and blue turquoise earrings the same colour as her eyes. She'd left her hair loose. Couldn't let Morgead know that she'd actually put some effort in her outfit.

The doorbell rang, and Jez felt her heart drop to the floor. She saw Bracken from the corner of her eye smile at her, but she ignored him and quickly slid on her short cowboy boots.

Morgead was leaning against the wall casually, his head ducked down. Looking up, his eyes widened slightly, then he relaxed and smiled slightly. "Hey, Jez."

Jez put her head to one side. "So, when are you going to start messing up?"

"I won't mess up, Jez. You'll see." His smile seemed slightly too confident and cocky. Jez frowned at him.

"So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Good start."

"So you have to wear this." He held up a blindfold.

"What?"

"Go on, Jez," he urged.

Jez searched his eyes, before snatching it out of his hands. She watched him arrogantly with narrowed eyes until he turned to go to his motorbike. "You know I hate being driven. You've lost a few points."

"You're scoring me?"

"Yes. You got ten points for the surprise, but you lost eight points there." She looked down at her hand. "Two more for the blindfold."

His smile was dazzling. "I'll be getting them back." He turned away from her, starting up the bike.

Jez felt her palms tingling and smiled before she could stop herself before shaking her head. She climbed onto the back of his motorbike and tied the blindfold over her eyes before putting her arms around his waist. She let herself lean against his back as he kick-started the bike.

This was... actually quite perfect. Not seeing where she was going frightened her to death, and strangely she loved the feeling. It exhilarated her. The dark comforted her, as did Morgead's familiar warmth. Not that she would admit that to him in any case.

A few minutes later he stopped. "You can take off the blindfold now," he said, a smile in his voice.

Jez reached up behind her head and undid the knot, letting it fall from her eyes. She blinked, letting her vision adjust.

And her mouth dropped open. She'd never seen anything like it. She hadn't known that Morgead would ever be _capable_ of anything like this.

They were in her favourite place in the entire world, a field a few miles south of San Francisco. It was a simple field, on the top of a hill, with just a single oak tree in the middle. The grass reached above her ankles, and the leaves on the tree were just turning yellow. Someone had decorated the tree with little lights and the sun was setting over a beautiful view of the San Andres fault. Under the tree, there was a white picnic blanket with her favourite human foods, strawberries, plain M&Ms and cookie dough ice cream.

"We can hunt afterwards if there's not enough," Morgead said, shrugging. He looked at her slightly worryingly.

"This is amazing," Jez said. She gave a slight laugh. "You even decorated the tree?"

"Technically... Raven decorated the tree. But I told her exactly what to do."

"So you didn't do it all by yourself? That's a pity. You were so close."

Morgead rolled his eyes and nudged Jez's arm. "I planned everything, Jez," he said earnestly.

Jez met his gaze and was frozen to the spot. The sun was hitting his hair exactly the right way which made it seem like the tips were on fire. The shifting lights in his emerald eyes were paler than usual, and with the intensity of his stare they could have been flames also. Jez felt a bit like she was being burnt, and he wouldn't look away.

Jez just about managed to jerk herself away from him. She half stepped backwards and looked away, trying to ignore the fact that she could still feel him watching her. They were both silent for a moment.

"How many points have I got?" Morgead finally said, breaking the tension and electricity which had fallen between them.

"32," Jez said randomly, frowning as she tried to get a grip on herself.

"And what do I get for winning the bet?" his voice was cocky again.

Jez schooled her expression before finally looking at him. "The satisfaction of knowing you got 32. What more could you want?" She smiled angelically at him before walking to the tree and sitting against it. He was perfectly still for a second, then pulled a face and came next to her as she picked up the bowl of M&Ms.

They were in comfortable silence for a while. Jez found it strangely... comforting to be with him. Not that she'd do it again, of course. That would just be weird. "You even timed it perfectly," she said suddenly.

She felt him jump next to her but didn't react or turn to him. "Huh?" he said, sounding bewildered.

"The sunset. You timed it perfectly so that we could see it. But it would be better by the sea," she said, passing the M&Ms to him.

"Maybe next time. Are these really safe?"

Jez turned to look at him in shock. He had picked up a yellow sweet and was observing it carefully. "Um... yes," she said. "There's going to be a next time?"

He carefully met her gaze before shrugging and ducking his head down like a child. "Next time we do anything. With the gang," he added on quickly.

Jez looked away, worried that he'd see her expression. The silence that fell between them this time was awkward. Jez tried to cover it up by reaching for another couple of M&Ms. "Do you want to know the other reason I didn't choose you?" she blurted, the first thing that came to her head. She didn't let him respond, though she could tell he was about to. "I wouldn't ever want to compromise our friendship. I know I don't exactly show it that much, but you're..." she paused, trying to understand where she was going with this confession/speech. "You're important," she settled on, though it sounded weak. "I rely on you for a lot. The gang."

He smiled slightly. "I know, Jez. You're important too. More... more than you know." He suddenly looked scared, terrified even. Jez frowned, trying to figure out the reason for his expression.

"Morgead?" she asked.

"What?" he snapped back.

Jez immediately did what was natural and elbowed him. Not too hard, though. For the first time in years she was feeling sympathy for Morgead. He sighed but didn't retaliate.

"You don't know..." he started. He trailed off.

"I don't know what?" she said, her voice carefully bored. He frowned at her.

"You don't know how... important you are. Really." He was watching her with that intensity that made Jez feel as if she had a lump in her throat. She turned away, unable to meet his eyes. She felt, rather than consciously telling herself, biting onto her lip in an effort to centre herself. Instead, she focussed on the beauty of the San Francisco sunset.

It seemed natural to fall into a silence at that point. Jez watched the colours change as the sun drifted lower and she leant against Morgead's arm. The bark of the tree was rough against her skin.

"So why exactly am I important?" Jez suddenly said.

Morgead half shrugged. "Because you're the first person I think of."

"What, even if it's bad?"

"Especially if it's bad," he muttered.

She ignored him and crossed her arms, and from the corner of her eye she could see him grin. "I'm kidding."

"Sure," Jez said. "You know, this isn't so bad." She opened the pot of cookie dough ice cream.

"I know. I never thought that it would be bad."

He said it so matter-of-factly and easily that Jez felt awkward. It took a while before she could look at him again, and when she did she was struck again by how he looked. The tips of his hair were still fiery, and shadows were cast by his sharp features. She didn't think about it, but just reached out with her hand and took hold of his, leaning her head down onto his shoulder. She heard his breathing stop and his hand tightened around hers.

And it didn't feel bad. In fact, it felt... good. Comforting and natural. She found that she didn't want to leave.

Jez felt her stomach drop several miles down as she realised exactly what it was she was feeling.

She liked him. As in _liked_ him liked him. And he was just on this stupid _date_ with her because he wanted to win a bet.

Jerking away abruptly, she forced herself to move further away from him. It was just the setting. There was not way she could feel anything for him! Just fatigue and the setting and seeing him in a slightly different light.

"Jez?" Morgead, asked looking at her with concern.

Jerk. He'd probably guessed and was trying to throw her off balance. She would bet anything that he'd only spent so much time and energy on this because he wanted permanent leadership of the gang.

Shaking her hair back haughtily and ignoring his sudden sigh, she decided to say something to break that stupid electricity she could still slightly feel. "On Monday, I've got to do an errand for Bracken. I'll be gone for a week and you're in charge. But only until I get back. When I get back, I'll be leader again."

"Um. Okay." He looked at her with a weird expression. Or maybe it was just a weirded-out expression. "Are you okay?" he said softly, leaning forwards and putting a hand on her shoulder.

She automatically moved again and batted it away, ignoring his suddenly wounded expression and the stab of pain that shot through her body. His expression hardened off. "Fine, then," he said harshly. "You don't think I actually care, do you?"

"As if you have the capacity to care. Do you have any feelings whatsoever?"

"I hate you. That's a feeling, isn't it? More than you feel."

"Why are you so immature all the time?" Jez dug her fingernails into her palms, hardly able to stop herself from launching herself at him and beating that infuriatingly smug expression from his face.

"Yeah, it rubbed off on me from you. So why don't you blame yourself?" At this point, they'd both stood up and were shouting at each other, though Jez wasn't completely sure how it had happened.

She moved closer to him, ignoring his superior height and glared at him, standing less than ten centimetres away. "So what, you're just a sheep, then? Following what everyone does, because you don't have the brainpower necessary to do anything yourself. She tried to push him away but he didn't budge.

"You think I'm a sheep?"

Jez put a hand on her hip and stared him down, ignoring that his expression... well. Scared her a little. "I think you _aspire_ to be a sheep."

He ignored the last comment. "Would a sheep do this?"

And with that, he put a hand on her neck and pulled her even closer, then quickly ducked his head down and kissed her roughly. After just a second, he stepped back, leaving Jez feeling like she was being sucked into a black hole. His bright green eyes were the first things that registered in her mind, and she suddenly was tired of playing the charade. And couldn't resist anymore. She moved towards him and pulled his head down to kiss him again.

And this one was different. Softer and much more gentle. She found herself melting in his arms, the sparks of electricity almost painful.

But perfect, she thought as he twisted his hand through her hair. Just... perfect.


	9. Difficulties

**I don't own Night World.**

**Okay, about the Jez and Morgead drabbles, I'm round a friend's house so I can't update. I'll update twice tomorrow. Hope this makes up for it. I quite like it!**

**Difficulties**

Jez was surprised when Morgead walked through the door without a top on.

And as much as she hated to admit it, she was pleasantly surprised. He wasn't grotesquely muscled, but had just the right amount for his abdomen to cast slight shadows. Her mind suddenly played traitor, and she imagined running her hands down his chest.

Dammit! She felt her cheeks darken as Morgead stopped in the doorway from the bathroom. "I thought we'd agreed that you wouldn't walk into my flat without my knowing," he accused.

She realised then that she was still staring at his torso. She yanked her eyes up to see that his hair was wet, and was leaving little rivulets of water dripping down his body. She really hoped that Morgead didn't see her hands starting to shake.

Trying to form a coherent answer, her mouth opened. But her body was betraying her. No sound came out, and without her permission her eyes swept over his body again.

"Jez?"

"I'm fine!"

Pause. "I never said you weren't." He was watching her eyes carefully. And he understood what happened when someone was attracted to him. Both of them had it happen all the time when they were hunting. And Jez could almost feel her pupils dilating.

She stood up, suddenly way too hot, but embarrassed herself when her legs shook. Dammit! And of course he didn't miss that. His eyes swept over her body and he frowned at her legs. Stupid vampire. He never missed anything. "Fine. I'll just l-leave." The falter wasn't deliberate, and she felt herself blush again under his keen eyes.

But before she could reach the door, he was suddenly in front of it. She glared at him. "Get out of my way."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?" she said. He just continued staring at her. "Let me go!" she cried.

"Not before you tell me what's wrong," he answered.

Her breathing edged up. Dammit, what was wrong with her?

Well, whatever it was, she had to get out of here, and fast. She shifted back slightly, and dropped into a hunting crouch. He immediately did the same, a low, yet playful growl coming from his chest. She jumped forwards the door, hoping to look deranged enough that he would just step out of the way, but instead he caught her arm and allowed her momentum to careen her towards the wall. He trapped her there. Oh, not again. Why did she always fall for that trick?

He looked disappointed. "That was easier than I thought it would be," he said.

"Just let me go, Morgead," she said.

He shook his head, and that only reminded her of the rivulets of water falling down his chest, to his abdomen... she shook her head to rid her head of those traitorous thoughts. "Come on, Jez. I beat you easily there. There's obviously something wrong."

"Let me go." Her voice was more demanding. She knew that if she stayed so close to him for much longer she would end up doing something she regretted.

"No," he answered stubbornly.

She didn't even glare at him. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out.

So, in order to seem normal, instead of stroking his skin as she really wanted, she made a fist and put it against his stomach, hoping and praying that he would move away.

A couple of droplets fell onto her hand. Like steel in a silk glove, his muscles were so hard, but his skin so soft. She couldn't control the jerk that ran through her body, and she almost gasped aloud when a shudder ran through his.

They stared at each other, gauging the situation, before Morgead touched her cheek lightly and trailed his hand down to her neck, leaving a burning trail of fire. He brushed her hair back behind her shoulder.

Jez couldn't move. She was caught like a deer in headlights as much as he was. She kept her hand (well, her fist, really) on him as his pupils dilated.

And then his hand curved over her neck. This time, Jez trembled, and that seemed to be all he needed to muster up the courage to lean forwards and press his lips to hers once.

The warmth was only there for a second before it was cold again, but he still stayed close, watching her eyes, gauging her reaction.

And, at that point, there was no reason not to relax the fist and trail her hand over his muscles, learning the texture of his skin on hers. He trembled again and leaned his forehead against hers, tracing his own patterns on the skin that was exposed at her hip.

"Jez?" he whispered.

"Yes?" she said back, still watching her hand against his skin with a small smile on her lips.

"Are you sure about this?" his voice was uncertain, but he couldn't diguise the lust in his voice.

She answered by kissing him again.


	10. 6 Steps to a Vampire

**I don't own Night World.**

**I think you should all listen to Daughtry. Especially 'Break This Spell' because it's so flipping perfect for Morgead. And 'All That You Are' by the Goo Goo Dolls, though that suits more Will and Alona from The Ghost and the Goth (which you should all read, by the way; because… oh my goodness, the characters are so real. I haven't met characters so flawed since I read Wuthering Heights. And that's my favourite book.) **

**6 Steps to a Vampire**

I'd always known that having friends wasn't close to compensating for the hassle.

Don't judge me, I like my friends (most of the time), but once they'd hit the age of sixteen, that was it with staying in with a few good films. _Then_, the closest we got to boys was gossiping about them.

I'm not a maleophobe (is that a word?), far from it. But… I suppose the fact that none of my close friends had brothers, and I didn't even have a father kind of made me unprepared for exactly what boys were like. Oh, and I blame my mother as well. She's the one who made me go to an all-girls school. So I have had no exposure to boys, and now I was basically trapped.

See, my friends wanted to go to parties. Specifically, 'mixers'. Though I hated anything which even resembled a party, Leanne had begged me. And reminded me that I owed her for dragging her around any Ancient History museum I could find anywhere from Sacramento to (only one time) Seattle. It was my only interest, really. So I caved.

And was regretting it deeply.

Even my mother hadn't helped. She'd seen the desperate look I'd given her but immediately said, "Well, be prudent, but it sounds like fun."

"_No it doesn't_," I'd hissed to her as Leanne jumped up and down in excitement.

"Thank you Jocelyn!" she'd squealed, slapping my arm when I flinched.

That's when she'd listed off every Saturday she'd, apparently, _wasted_ with me when I'd asked her to come to the various museums (I don't see how education is a waste. People in the Ancient Times would have jumped at any opportunity to learn), and had then pulled her pièce de résistance; bambi eyes.

I'd sighed and shrugged my shoulders, which set off another bout of squealing and she'd shot up to my room. I'd followed with a bit less enthusiasm.

Of course, she'd gotten distracted and dove to the dance floor where a few boys were milling, and who were immediately congregating on her. She was really rather pretty.

I actually had a fair few followers myself, but thanked my father (well, my dead father actually) that my eyes, his too, could be pretty intimidating. The majority steered clear.

But then there was that one guy, of course, who didn't.

He was handsome, sure. Looked a little bit like Orlando Bloom, actually (as a pirate, not an elf) and that distracted me a bit. Approaching me with a slight swagger, he held out a glass of punch. "You seem quite lonely here," he said, leaning against the wall and raising one eyebrow.

I accepted the glass and frowned slightly. I'd actually been glaring at this one quite a bit more than the others. Oh gosh, it hadn't been a come hither look? I really hoped not, that's why I'd practiced it in the mirror before we left (ignoring Leanne's snickering). Was this why the boys had actually steered clear of me? Did I just seem desperate? No wait, boys didn't care about that. I presumed. _Stupid all-girls school._

"What?"

I blushed when I realised I'd said that last part out loud. I really needed to learn how to control my thoughts; as soon as I started rambling in my head random words would just come tumbling out. That had embarrassed me on more than one occasion.

"What's your name?"

I blinked and came back to the present. His expression was now slightly mocking.

I squared my shoulders. "Jez," I answered, scolding myself mentally. Maybe what would work is intensive therapy or yoga lessons… or maybe I should try hypnosis. See whether that cured my terrible attention span.

"I'm Dave."

"Nice to meet you," I said, slightly awkwardly. 'Dave' seemed amused by my response.

To fill the time a bit I sipped at the punch, grimacing slightly at the taste. There was obviously alcohol, though I wasn't sure how much (most likely a shitload. I hated these parties), the slight orangey tang, and something else… I wasn't sure what. I took another sip experimentally. Something… a bit spicy, which left some strange herbal aftertaste.

Herbal.

That _bastard_.

I pushed the glass back to him and he raised his eyebrow again. That episode of _Friends_ when Joey teaches the acting class ran through my mind. What was that quote again? Oh yeah, '_I've got a fish hook in my eyebrow and I like it.'_

"Is that spiked?" I said, disgust colouring my voice.

He winked.

I blamed the _herbal_ stuff he'd put in my glass for my lack of inhibitions when I slapped him hard. His face twisted slightly, and suddenly he didn't look a thing like Orlando Bloom. Orlando Bloom was sweet and cute. This… whatever his name was… looked like pure evil.

I ducked past him and dove into the crowd, hoping the mixture of coloured lights and darkness would help hide even my bright red hair. I spotted Leanne and fought through the crowd to grab onto her arm. "Some random guy just gave me some punch which had some questionable… stuff. You know. Like herbal questionable."

"Oh, Jez! I told you not to accept anything from strangers!"

I frowned at her. "No you didn't."

She sighed and looked at me worriedly. "Do you want to leave?"

"You can stay; I'll just call my mum."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just wanted to make sure you knew."

"Okay," she said. "I'll text you later."

I managed to get out of the club and stood outside for a couple of minutes, relishing the cool air after the stuffy warmth of the terrible building. My phone was in one of my pockets, and finally I located it, ignoring the way the world was starting to spin. Two sips couldn't do anything serious, right? It must have been all in my head; even I couldn't be as bad as that at holding my liquor. Or drugs. Whichever.

I squinted at my phone and sighed when the '20% battery left' pop-up… uh… well, popped up. Rather cleverly named, actually. So I was musing about that and trying to remember what I'd wanted to do with the damned contraption when a pole jumped in front of me and hit me on the head.

Okay, it didn't jump. I wasn't looking.

And of course, I fell on my butt, dropped the phone and swore very loudly (at which point a couple with a young boy gave me a horrifically hateful glare. Kind of shocking, actually) and when I squinted up at the pole I saw that there was a man behind it.

In fact, he was doing the whole _I have a fish hook in my eyebrow and I like it_, but that did nothing to detract from the fact that he was, without a doubt, one of the most gorgeous people I'd ever seen in my life. Kind of like Prince Caspian from that Narnia film… what was it called again? Oh, right. Prince Caspian, only he had the brightest emerald green eyes, instead of the dark brown (brown has always been my favourite eye colour, but I think it may have changed in that moment) and he wasn't wearing armour.

He grinned when I swore loudly, forgetting that the couple with the little boy could probably still hear me.

"How much, exactly, have you drunk?" he asked before taking my hand and helping me up.

I let go of his hand as soon as I could. Something about touching him was making me feel… uncomfortable. Actually, I think he could tell something was off too, because he gave me a quick once-over (not how boys tended to, this was a bit more worried), and his smile after was a bit forced.

Steadying myself on the lamppost, I said, "Two sips. I think weird guy that looked like an ugly Orlando Bloom spiked it or something."

He shot a quick glance over his shoulder before looking back at me. "Maybe you should sit down for a bit," he said, gingerly putting one hand on my arm and pulling me gently to a bench. That weird feeling wasn't there anymore, so I relaxed and let him.

He sat down next to me, which surprised me a bit. I'd thought he would move on once I'd sat down. "So who was this… 'ugly Orlando Bloom'?" he raised his eyebrows, but I could see he was smiling.

Oh great. He was laughing at me. I crossed my arms and looked away.

"I'm not laughing," he said gently.

I jumped – had he read my mind? – and glanced up at him.

And was paralysed, unable to move any more than a stone could roll of its own accord. He was looking so deeply into my eyes – I didn't think anyone had ever looked at me so unswervingly before – and he had silver eyes. Odd. I could have sworn they had been green only a few minutes ago. But this silver was so… _real_. No-one I'd ever seen had eyes that were like the moon. Intimidating, certainly; my body was screaming at me to run as my mind said '_Stay. You won't come to harm. Just stay.'_ and I could feel my mind taking over completely, until I couldn't even feel my body any more. There were no signals whatsoever. Though the world was shaking… so I must have been shivering from the cold.

And then he was taking my shoulders and bringing me closer, and I was letting him, still unable to move, until we were so close the warmth from his body woke me up slightly.

But not nearly enough.

I was still paralysed when he tipped my chin back slightly and struck, precise and quick as a snake, but I could definitely feel the lightning bolt of pain when _something_ broke my skin. I had no idea what; because whatever signals my body managed to send through refused to be deciphered. They didn't make any _sense_.

But it was difficult to have _any _rational explanation when I could feel my blood being taken from me, my _soul_ being taken from me. I wasn't in my body any longer, and there was something like a quick mental gasp from the boy… _Morgead_… that was his name, and he threw up some kind of smokescreen, to the point that everything was warped and shrouded with darkness.

Apart from his… mental voice? It seemed to be the right kind of phrase. His mental voice rang out clear, though I wasn't hearing it physically. _What are you?_

_I… what are _you_? _I almost shouted. He flinched. Mentally, I mean. _Some kind of zombie or what?_

_I asked you first_. His voice was as controlled as mine was hysterical. And I found then that I could kind of make sense of what he was thinking, even through the smokescreen. Apparently he was offended.

_Well, too bad that I offended you._ He seemed a bit surprised that I'd managed to read him. _You're drinking my _blood_, you jerk._

He sighed. _So put two and two together…_

The word came to me, but I flinched away from it. This _couldn't_ be happening. Why had I even come to this stupid club in the first place? And why had I talked to a complete stranger?

_I'm a vampire, you idiot._

I definitely couldn't flinch away from _that_, no matter how hard I tried. And with the word came a torrent of other images. His full name was Morgead Blackthorn, and he was the leader of a gang of vampires. _Night World_ vampires. The other gang members flashed past, too quickly for me to identify any features, but there didn't seem to be much else in his life. His mother had left him when he was still a child, and his life – well, his thoughts, at least – seemed to be consumed with… _hunting_. Endless hunting, endless humans.

_Now you answer my question_.

The stark and harsh tone to his _voice_ made me realise that this was a man who had killed more people than I probably _knew_. Actually, a good chunk of murders that I heard about on the news was probably the work of his gang. And my throat was unprotected. Less than that, I was completely at his mercy. He wouldn't think twice of ripping out my throat or draining me dry.

_Jezebel_.

_Don't call me that_, I answered automatically.

_What are you?_ he said, ignoring me.

The question struck me dumb.

_What _are_ you?_

_I have no idea what you mean._

_No human could do this._

_Do _what_?_

_Come into my mind!_ his voice was edging towards hysterical.

Good. The jerk deserved it. _I'm not doing anything._ _What's the Night World?_

_A society, _he answered, almost automatically. His thoughts were running at the speed of light, incomprehensible apart from the odd word which stood out like a firework. Especially the one near the end.

_Soulmates_.

The word resonated inside me. But… could that be _true_? Were we actually merging… _souls_? It was almost embarrassing; I couldn't imagine anything more intimate than that.

_Soulmates?_ I sent to him.

He seemed speechless.

_Morgead?_

_No. It's not possible. It's not _possible_._

_Then what other explanation is there?_

And it was with a suddenness that almost made me fall off the… _bench_ – that's what I was sitting on – he pulled away, and again his eyes were green. But even without the physical contact, our… souls… were merged still, and I could see how scared and confused he was, how even though he _knew_ that we were bound by _something_, he was fighting that knowledge desperately.

_I don't need anyone_, he thought. I don't think he really wanted me to hear what was underneath that, the impenetrable loneliness that was almost a blanket over everything.

And of course, this connection between us was two-way, so he heard me realise that. His face set into a carefully bored expression, and he got up, not the least bit shaky and left.

The break of connection was like I'd just run into a wall. I was suddenly freezing cold, and every part of my body hurt. The pain seemed to be radiating from my throat, but even as I touched the small incisions they were healing, leaving only the smallest marks.

"Jez?"

I jumped and turned towards Leanne's voice. "I thought you were going home. It's been like half an hour."

"Um… yeah. It's… warm and stuff…" I trailed off as she raised her eyebrow incredulously. To be sure, it was anything _but_ warm.

"Why are you blushing?"

"I walked into a lamppost," I said. "And it kind of made my head spin, so I just sat down for a while."

She grinned and rolled her eyes. "Okay. Well, I think we should get home. Have you gotten over your… you know. Supposed drugged incident?"

"There was something in that punch…"

"Are you feeling better, though?"

"Yeah…"

~NW~NW~NW~NW~

I spent most of the ride contemplating whether I should tell my mum, and consequently how much I should tell her.

As if I could tell her _anything_. I could just imagine how that would go; "Oh, mum, I got attacked by some random guy who drank my blood and we then found out that we have some kind of bond between our souls! How exciting is _that_?!"

And so when I get back home and open the door, and mum pops her head around the corner asking me how it went, I made sure to roll my eyes and look disgusted and rattle off something about how the music was too loud and the environment uncomfortable and the people just plain boring and tell her that I was never going to another club again in my entire life, to which she laughed and went back to whatever she had been doing beforehand.

Meanwhile, I went up to my room and sank to the floor, running my fingers along my throat again, almost expecting the incisions to be open and bleeding again. But my skin was so smooth – no hint of the violence – that I almost began to wonder whether it had happened at all. Shouldn't there be _some_ kind of mark?

And how about that connection between us? Shouldn't I feel it pulling me towards him? If we were really… _soulmates_… then I should want to be wherever he was. But I could feel nothing but a steady fear.

~NW~NW~NW~NW~

The fear dissipated after a few days, until I could _really_ examine my other feelings.

There was the connection. When I closed my eyes, I could almost see it, it was that tangible. It had a hint of a silvery sheen to it, and though thin, I could feel the strength of it. It never pulled, strangely, and I never wanted to be _with_ Morgead (I kept it very clear in my head who he was and what I'd seen he'd done), but there was always that temptation to tug on it. Would he know where to find me?

There were a couple of murders in the Bay Area in the week following, and each time I wondered whether it was his gang (or him) who was responsible.

And every now and then, when I let my guard down, or when I first woke up, I wondered whether he thought about me at all.

Which was the epitome of stupidity. What exactly would it accomplish, even if he was? He was a vampire, not to mention a murderer. It would, no doubt, be going against my own species if I had _any_ kind of feelings for him. Even pity.

Or a longing which was building up and building up and getting impossible to ignore.

I found myself taking a lot of walks during that time, around the various parks which were scattered within the borders of San Francisco and along the streets, and when I wasn't paying attention I would find myself back at that bench that started all these conflicts. The sight of it was like a wake-up call, and every time I told myself that I _would_ get over these stupid emotions.

I would have thought that if something else was to happen, it would be by the bench. But it wasn't. It was in Muir Woods, one of the less popular parks. I was just about to reach up to take a blossom from a tree when he melted from the shadows and slid up next to me, with the easy grace of a cat.

Or maybe a snake.

"Are you sure you should be wandering around here so late in the evening?" he said, with an ease that mirrored his movements.

This one was… creepy. Even when Morgead had attacked me, he hadn't had that vicious delight in his eyes. I could feel my hands starting to shake and dropped the blossom on the floor.

He smiled, revealing incisors that came to just below his lips, slightly curved and translucent at the ends like a cat's.

_Stupid_. I had let my guard down too much; anyone who was normal would have hidden away as soon as they found out that _vampires_ existed. But not me, of course not. I went out practically _looking_ for trouble, _begging_ it to come find me and put… what? Some unneeded excitement in my life? My life was perfectly exciting. I'd been accepted to do an archaeology and ancient history joint degree in _Cairo_. The friends I had were perfectly nice, and I was pretty enough to get a boyfriend if I ever wanted one.

"How about you come with me?" he said. I could feel something… prodding at my mind. Not like when Morgead and I had been pulled into each other's minds, more forceful. More menacing instead of… deeper.

So I pushed it away. Somehow; I'm not really sure how to describe what I did. But apparently it wasn't normal; the boy's eyebrows shot up before he narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth slightly.

And I never even saw him move. One moment he was standing there, the next he had trapped me against a tree and was burying his teeth into my neck.

It wasn't anything like when Morgead had taken my blood. That had hurt, but only for the smallest second. This was agony, incapacitating agony, reaching through my mind and twisting it until every part of what made me who I was had been torn to shreds. I dimly heard a scream, and dimly felt my body writhing, but he was inescapable. There was nothing like that closeness that had been with Morgead, nothing that gave the act almost a feeling of being natural. This was a torturous pain.

And suddenly it ended. I found myself on the floor, closing my eyes and breathing rapidly, but hearing a very familiar voice say, "This one's mine, Pierce."

And my eyes flew open when the bond between me and Morgead gave a massive tug, and I squinted up through the echoings of the remnant pain.

Emerald green eyes.

Shit, he'd _saved_ me.

He sighed when he saw my eyes open and shot a look over his shoulder. "I mean it, Pierce. She's mine."

The other vampire, Pierce (strange that he had such a normal name; I even knew a couple of Pierces) sighed and said, "You always get the pretty ones."

"Who's the leader of this so-called gang?"

"You are."

"Damn right I am."

I supposed Pierce had left, because he turned back to me, "Stay lying down for a while. Do you know how long he was feeding?"

I shook my head, groaning when the world span uncontrollably. His fingers brushed over my throat, and I was sure that if I _had_ enough blood for it, I would be blushing.

I think I may have blacked out a few seconds at a time, but at one point the world stopped spinning enough for me to push myself up slowly, though I had to grip at Morgead's t-shirt to be sure I wouldn't go floating away. I felt so light, and not as… anchored… in my body. That probably wasn't a good thing, really.

"Are you feeling better?" he said softly.

"A bit," I muttered quietly. I didn't think I could manage much more volume than that.

He watched me for a moment before sighing and sitting back. "What were you thinking?"

"What?" I said, putting a hand up to my head and pressing it, trying to force the slow ache away.

"Coming out here of all places? Or, actually, coming out at all! Anyone normal would have stayed at home if they found out vampires existed."

I gave an apologetic smile. "I like walking."

"So get a treadmill!"

"Outside," I finished, giving him a disparaging look. "And what would you care anyway? You're the one who attacked me in the first place."

He touched my throat again, and this time I could feel a small blush building up. "I know," he said. "But…" he trailed off and looked away.

"But we're soulmates?" I said experimentally, watching his reaction carefully.

He flinched ever so slightly and looked back at me. "Yes," he said, sighing. "We are." He pushed his hair back with his knuckles. "But, Jez… it can't be powerful enough to keep us together. It's against Night World laws to fall in love with a human. They'd kill us both."

I felt a shiver run through me when he said my name, and yet again when he said _fall in love_.

Because, weird as it was, I _had_ fallen in love. I felt like I knew him, the way nobody else could. I knew how he had felt when his mother had abandoned him; I knew that his entire life had been like a blank page, just going through the motions, no real fire or passion or excitement; I knew even that he _did_ care for his gang, but they were nowhere near enough for what he wanted.

And I knew that he loved me too.

I think he somehow heard all of that, because he smiled wryly before standing up and walking a few metres away. Not too far – I doubted he wanted to leave me right away – but just far enough that I couldn't read his expression.

"Morgead?" I said, trying to stand up to follow him, but I'd pretty much lost all the feeling in my legs and tripped up over something (probably my own feet) and stumbled against him. He caught my arm with a small smile and before I could even react, pressed his lips quickly to mine.

Which was just cruel, really. So I reached up and kissed him myself, holding him closer. Not that it was needed; he was pressing closer to me anyway. And when we fell into each other's minds it was effortless.

_I should probably leave, you know, _was the first thing he said.

I could understand why. I could see in his thoughts this society, the 'Night World', ruthless and dangerous and utterly anti-human, mercilessly killing anyone who loved humans, and every human who knew about the Night World.

_It's the only protection we have. They have._

He said that last sentence experimentally before giving mental sigh. _I suppose I'm not part of them anymore._

_So stay._

He was so quiet for a time, just letting his consciousness reach mine and accepting anything I gave to him. And finally, he said, _I will._

And that changed something fundamental inside me. Sure I had loved him before, but I knew now that I had been keeping a part of myself away from him. I didn't have to any more. I could feel the strength in his conviction, what he felt for me, and suddenly I was _more_ than I had been before. I was the Jez Redfern I had been before, but more as well.

Morgead pulled back. I jumped as I found myself forcibly dragged back into a body that still ached and still felt woozy. But I was already sitting so even if I _did_ faint I wouldn't have far to fall, thank goodness.

"Morgead?" I asked. He was frowning at me.

"Your name's Redfern," he said tersely.

"What about it?"

He didn't respond, and instead got up and stepped back a few paces. I tried to squash down on the hurt. "What?" I said, at the same time trying to get into his mind to understand what he was thinking; but there was an impenetrable wall where his strength should have been.

"Who are your parents?" he asked.

"Why…?" but his expression was the most forceful I'd ever seen it. "My mother's a vet. Her name was Jocelyn Goddard before she got married."

"And your father?" And now he looked like he was merely in pain.

"I can't remember him; he died when I was five. What is it, Morgead?"

"Jez… the Redferns…" he pushed his hair back agitatedly. "They're the most powerful of the vampires. A family tree that goes in a direct line back to the first vampire that ever existed."

I sat back, stunned for a moment. "It's a coincidence. That's all."

But he was looking at me in a searching way, as if I would suddenly grow fangs and go on a massive murdering and human-eating rampage around San Francisco.

I swallowed. "What do you… I mean, would that explain it?"

"Explain what?" he closed his eyes and turned away.

"Well… the Soulmate thing."

"No. It's part of the prophecies." He came back to me and sat down, slightly further away than before. "According to these prophecies, the Old Powers are meant to be… resurfacing. Apparently the human world is meant to end by the year 2000–"

"What?"

"Oh. Right; you didn't know about that," he smiled meekly. "The human world is supposed to fall to blood and darkness unless humans can get four Wild Powers on their side." I shook my head and covered my eyes, making some kind of dissatisfied noise – I wasn't really sure what it was. "The Wild Powers are supposed to have some kind of unimaginable Power which is some branch off what witches use. And they're supposed to be manifesting about now. Apparently there's one in California."

"I came into this at the wrong time, didn't I?" I groaned, still covering my eyes. "What kind of Power?"

"Blue Fire, according to the prophecies." I sighed as he made a noncommittal gesture and brushed my hair back. "Jez, how much do you know about your father?"

I shrugged. "Nothing, really." I frowned at him. "What, do you think he could… could have…?"

"Been a vampire?" he paused, watching me carefully. "I suppose there's only one way to find out."

"There's a test?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

He moved closer to me, a resigned look on his face. "Sort of. Bite me," he said, pulling his collar away from his neck.

I don't think I'd ever moved as quickly as I did that moment, shooting backwards and somehow finding myself on my feet (though I did almost trip up and whack my head on a tree, which would have been rather embarrassing).

He sighed. "It's not as bad as it seems. Even for humans. Vampire blood is different."

"I… I can't _bite_ you!"

He shrugged. "Yeah, vampires don't like it that much, but it's the easiest way to be sure."

"Morgead–" I jumped when he moved (quicker than even a vampire should, I was sure) to stand close to me.

"This is just about the only time I'm going to let you do it–"

"I don't want to bite you!" I tried to be firm, but I could feel hysteria building.

Maybe because I could feel that desire. A part of me, deep down, was tempted to try it; if only to be as close as we had when he drank from me. And so I couldn't look away from his throat, and I didn't even flinch when he made a small incision with a stick that he must have broken off the tree.

"I don't…" I tried to say, but the words stuck in my throat as I could see the small rivulet of blood. It was slightly darker than blood usually was, and the desire was almost overwhelming. I could sense Morgead watching me carefully, and almost heard a small intake of breath he gave, as if all my senses had been heightened, or… awakened. Everything was so clear and so loud; I could hear Morgead's heartbeat, and the heat from his skin was so much more potent. Every movement of wind on my skin I could feel with a sensitivity which was unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

I couldn't resist any more. So I leaned forwards and pressed my lips to the wound, kissing the broken skin quickly as way of apology before I finally let myself drink the… blood.

It wasn't anything like I would have imagined (not that I _had_ imagined. That was just weird on so many levels). Richer, more powerful, almost. Full of raw, vital young energy. I put my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and he let me. More than that, he pulled me closer. I could feel the colours of his… aura – I suppose I could call it – envelop me, and every one of his thoughts was of… me. Including a startlingly vibrant image of me just before I bit him. My eyes were silver instead of their normal blue. There was some kind of energy that seemed to fill me, making every colour brighter. I was inhuman, so much more beautiful and… _alive_.

But the fangs.

Slightly curved, delicate and translucent at the tips. Weapons of a killer.

I broke away from him, stumbling against the tree and sliding down the bark to almost collapse in a heap on the floor. Morgead dropped down next to me, his eyes brighter than usual.

He said nothing as I brought my knees up and hid my face. My father had been a _vampire_. Had mum even known? I had absolutely no idea. But how could he have hidden it from her?

"Jez?" he whispered. He touched my shoulder gently and I couldn't help myself from leaning into his hand.

"How could I not know?" I asked, lifting my head, half-blinded from tears. "How could something so big be kept from me for my entire life? I mean, I've seen people be cut before and bleed, but I never wanted to drink their _blood_."

He didn't respond other than brushing the tears away from my cheeks.

I leant my head against the tree and took deep breaths, fighting to control my emotions. "I think I have to talk to my mother." I took a deep breath. "Can you come with me?"

"Of course. Are you alright?" he asked, worry colouring his voice.

"Yeah… I think I'll be fine." I met his gaze before dropping my eyes. It was difficult to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry. For biting you."

He laughed. "Same here, I suppose. We're even?"

I frowned. "Oh yeah, about that…" I started, before slapping him across the face.

"What the f–" he started, jerking backwards and gazing at me with wide, hurt eyes. "What was that for?"

I shrugged and crossed my arms. "I didn't give you permission to bite me. You begged me to bite you. _Now_ we're even."

He was almost watching me in awe now and shook his head slowly. "I think I just fell in love with you even more."

~NW~NW~NW~NW~

I knew something was wrong as soon as we came into the driveway. I wasn't sure if it was the vampire blood still enhancing my senses, or my own vampire powers, or just basic intuition, but something wasn't right. There was a kind of malevolence in the air that I never felt before with _anything_. I put hand on Morgead's arm. "Something's wrong," I warned in a low voice.

He was immediately on his guard, pulling a wooden knife out of his boot (which I was – momentarily – impressed by. I hadn't seen anyone pull a weapon out of their boot except in movies). "Stay behind me," he said tersely, his voice even lower than mine.

I shook my head. "It might just be a friend or something. I would rather not have to explain _that_," I said, gesturing to the knife.

He grinned, and I could see even through the worry that he was excited by the possibility of… I don't know, knocking someone out or something. Such a guy. "This is nothing. I would have my fighting stick if I could carry it inconspicuously."

I blinked at him before turning back to the house.

Even the light was turned off, I noticed as I narrowed my eyes at the keyhole in the door. Mum would _always_ leave the hallway light on, no matter what. To deter thieves or something.

The entire world was still for a moment before it exploded.

Five vampires dove from random places; the bushes, behind a tree, round the corner of the house; and launched a full-on attack. One collapsed immediately, but the others attacked. "Stay behind me!" Morgead shouted to me.

Like _hell_. As if I was going to watch my Soulmate be overwhelmed. I was sure that he'd somehow incapacitated the first vampire, who was as still as death on the ground, but I had no idea _how_ he did that and doubted he could do it again, otherwise he would be doing it right now.

I didn't say anything; I didn't want to distract him, and instead dove to the flower bed which had a tree with low hanging branches.

And suddenly one of them was in front of me, a knife not unlike Morgead's in his hand. I slid to a halt, struck with fear for a moment. He bared his teeth – no, his fangs.

So the Night World must have found out somehow. And had time to launch an attack. How long had I been gone, anyway?

He lifted the knife and my mind kicked into overdrive. I could see clearly every detail; where and how he was going to strike, and I noticed that there was a certain branch that would break off easily enough. I had to do this alone. There was no way Morgead could help me, this was _my _stand. Maybe my final stand. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay still…

Until he swung. I ducked out of the way, quicker than I would have thought possible, and pushed him, putting my entire weight behind me. He stumbled and fell, which would probably give me two seconds.

So I didn't waste one. I sprinted to the tree, almost ramming headfirst into it, and jumped up to grab the branch. There was an almighty crack before it broke, and I barely managed to stay on my feet.

I had no time; I could hear the steps behind me. I turned, and something inside me said '_Swing_' so I did–

–catching the vampire across his face and the momentum driving him headfirst into the tree. He lay at the roots, unmoving.

I lifted the branch, the jagged point above his chest, but froze before I could drive it home. I wasn't sure how much this whole ordeal had changed me, but I was also sure that I didn't want to _murder_ anyone. Maybe this vampire would redeem himself and find a soulmate.

I stood frozen above him.

I couldn't. Not in such cold blood; it wasn't right. I had to focus on getting myself and Morgead out. Not some sort of petty revenge.

I shot a glance to where Morgead was still fighting. There was one more that was motionless on the ground, but the other two seemed good; I wasn't sure how long it would last.

I gripped my branch tighter and started towards him before one of them caught him over the head and he collapsed to the ground. His knife flew from his hand, landing several metres away. "Morgead!" I shouted.

And an attack came from behind me; the vampire who had attacked me, maybe? I probably should have staked him, but it was too late now.

And so I fell into strange dreams where the world was enveloped in blue flames.

~NW~NW~NW~NW~

I was in pain when I finally came back to reality.

And being jostled.

It was still dark; I remembered it had been dark when we had been fighting. I shook my head, trying to force myself to wake up properly.

"Jez?" I heard.

I frowned. My mother was here? Maybe it had all been a dream.

But then the jostles brought me jarringly back to reality. My bed wouldn't be jostling, right?

I opened my eyes. Mum was above me, fussing over my hair. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

I nodded and put my hand up to my head as I sat up. She put an arm over my shoulder to support me. My head was spinning madly, but a few deep breaths and I had it under control; the vampire blood must still be working its magic.

"I'm fine," I said, when she still looked at me carefully. I looked around quickly. We appeared to be in a stripped van and from the various potholes and jagged movements I supposed we were somewhere in the countryside.

I slipped away from mum when I saw Morgead, still out cold, lying in the back corner. I could feel her watching me, but I had to check that he was okay. He had a bump on his head, but that seemed all, and he woke as I brushed his hair from his forehead to look at it closer.

"Jez!" he said. He sat up and looked around the van with wide, but mostly calm eyes. "It must be the Night World. They found out about us."

"Jez…?" I heard mum say. Morgead looked at her then moved to the sides of the van, running his hands over the metal walls. "How do you…?"

I closed my eyes and pushed my hair away from my face. "Mum, I know about the Night World."

She looked like she was about to say something, but nothing came out.

"And… I know about dad."

She flinched before shaking her head sadly. "I'm so sorry Jez. I thought I could protect you. How did you… find it out?"

"Morgead told me that the Redferns were the most powerful vampire family," I said softly, gesturing to where he was still checking the sides of the van.

Mum sighed and rubbed her hands together. "I should have changed our name, but I couldn't bear to. It would just have made everything so much more permanent. I thought that your father… might come back or something." She leant her chin on her knees, her eyes bright and wet. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't been so stupidly _sentimental_ I could have prevented this. I'll be surprised if we get out of this alive," she said with a short, humourless laugh. She touched my cheek. "I'm so sorry."

I moved forwards to hug her. "We'll get out of here. Turns out I'm a decent fighter, actually."

I saw Morgead give up with a sigh. "The van's stripped," he said in a voice that suggested that he'd already known that beforehand.

Mum shot a glance to me, motioning towards Morgead. I gave a wry half-smile; I knew that she would understand what that meant.

The van suddenly turned onto a long gravel driveway. Morgead exchanged a glance with me. "We'll get out," he vowed. He took a deep breath before taking yet another wooden dagger out of his boot, but this one was made with a paler wood.

The doors opened and Morgead prepared to jump out, but voice said "If anyone resists, the girl will be shot." The speaker stepped forwards, a beautiful girl with golden eyes and black hair. I peered out to see a group of thugs, about ten, three of which were pointing guns at me. Morgead shifted uncomfortably. "Now hand me the dagger, Blackthorn, or your human girlfriend gets it." She held out a hand. Morgead's jaw set and he looked away angrily, but he still handed the dagger over.

There were enough stakes to surround us like a forest as they escorted us out. We were watched like hawks as we were tied up and the girl from before came out.

She gave us a cold smile. "No doubt you know why you're here."

I kept my mouth shut, and so did Morgead, actually, though he was growling under his breath.

The girl leaned forwards. "But let me introduce myself first. My name is Lily Redfern." She looked directly at me with such revulsion that I flinched. "And unlike a half-breed like you, I am a _true_ Redfern."

I couldn't help the sarcastic remark; "Yeah, well I'm not so pleased about being related to you either."

Lily huffed but didn't reply. "We do seem to have hit the jackpot. A woman who has known of the Night World for years, a half-human freak and her vampire boyfriend." She raised an eyebrow. "This might be one for the books."

"Lily…" mum started, leaning forwards against her bonds. "Just take me. It's not Jez's fault what she is."

I struggled against the ropes, wincing as they dug into my skin. "No, mum. Don't."

But she didn't respond, just gazed intensely at Lily, who returned the gaze for a moment, before throwing her head back and laughing. "What she is is an abomination who can't be allowed to live." She turned away from mum and instead gave a disparaging look to Morgead.

"How did you know?" I asked.

Lily gestured with her head and someone melted out of the shadows. The one who had attacked me earlier.

Morgead gave a roar of rage and struggled furiously against the bonds, but there was no way he could get up from the floor. "Pierce, you traitor!" he shouted.

Pierce curled his lip. "I think you're the traitor here, Morgead. She's vermin. No, worse than vermin; she's the proof that vampires and humans can't coexist. And I have a feeling you'll start fighting with the humans. For that, you're dead."

"No, you're dead. I'm going to kill you Pierce; you betrayed the gang. You're scum!"

Lily seemed amused, but she clapped her hands once, directing all the attention back to her again. "Now, let's get this over with. We'll start with the half-breed," she gestured to me and started turning away.

"No!" Morgead shouted. "Listen, Lily. I'll work for you. I promise. If you let Jez go."

She rolled her eyes. "I think not. She's vermin. We can't let her exist."

"Lily!"

"Oh, shut him up. We'll start with him instead," she said, gesturing to where Morgead was, still pleading her with his eyes.

I struggled more, feeling the rope dig in further and my skin getting slick with blood from my wrists. I turned desperately to Morgead and saw that he was watching me.

_You know that I love you, right? _he said softly.

That voice. The voice I would never hear again if Lily's cronies killed him. That voice which had come to mean _so much_ to me. An entire life I could have with my always by my side, the indestructible bond between us only getting stronger and stronger with time.

"Morgead," I whispered as they dragged him forwards.

All I could think was that they were going to kill my soulmate right in front of me. I would be able to feel the bond breaking, my entire life disappearing before my eyes.

The heat that I had previously thought was a mixture of fear and my growing love for Morgead built up. Everything was clearer suddenly; it hadn't slowed down, but it was as if I could process miniscule details so much faster. The feel of the blood still flowing slowly out of my wrist from the jagged rope, and still the heat was building. Pierce was laughing, but I tuned that out, listening instead to something that was inside me. My breathing sped up. That _feeling_. I knew it; I was positive I did, but it was so foreign at the same time. Past anything I could imagine.

And still it grew hotter. I could feel it urging me to let it go. It didn't want to be restrained.

From a distance I saw the cronies position the spear above Morgead's chest. My breathing quickened. It was now or never. Could I be sure that this _power_ was safe? That it wouldn't harm my mum or Morgead?

Now or never.

Lily made the decision for me by screaming, "Now!" I let the power go, and it engulfed everything.

It was nothing I'd ever seen, like a mixture of the tongues of a flame and the forks of electricity. It went out as far as it possibly could, as if it was trying to escape from my confines.

And there was so _much_. It didn't stop. I tried to pull it back somehow with my mind, but it refused to listen, streaming in all directions, smelling of ozone and the air after the storm. Whenever a fork or a lick happened to touch me I flinched, but it seemed to have no interest in hurting me.

But it might not have the same indifference towards Morgead and my mum. The thought of them gave me a new strength, so I tried gathering it up again.

And little by little it responded, flooding back into me. I was breathing heavily, hardly staying conscious from exhaustion. My bonds had snapped off, and were sizzling with little electric blue sparks. I shot a glance to mum and then to Morgead, making sure that they were still alive, and noticed with surprise that Lily and her cronies were nowhere to be seen. They'd simply poofed out of existence.

"Jez? What… was _that_?" mum said.

Morgead turned wide eyes to me. "You're… you're the Wild Power?"

I was still breathing heavily, but nodded. "Apparently." I put my head in my hands.

"Wild Power?" mum asked.

I heard Morgead explain quickly before he came up to me. I leaned my head on his shoulder as I heard him say, "We need to get you to Circle Daybreak."

I nodded. I'd heard of Circle Daybreak at one point when we'd been sharing souls; it was an organisation that accepted everyone, and was fighting to have peace between the races.

"Jez," Morgead murmured. I looked up at him. "You did it. We're alive," he said with a short laugh.

It was true. We were. I had him, and maybe our lives would turn out how they _should. _Maybe we would always be side by side, the bond between us strengthening to unbelievable proportions.

And his unadulterated happiness when he kissed me caught me completely off-guard, but it didn't take long before I felt that happiness too. The first hurdle was complete.


End file.
